The Torah says “Each man must fear his mother and father!”. In actual fact, however, people who have fear for their fathers and mothers are few and far between. Woe to these children, for on the Day of Judgment Hashem will judge each one of us for everything. Every man who wants life should strengthen himself and do everything in his power to fulfil all of his obligations. It is, however, correct for a father to allow his sons to behave with less fear in order to lessen their punishments. This is true even though he will not escape completely from punishment through this, unless he does a complete repentance.
Chazal said that “In the same way that one is obligated to say something that will be listened to, so too is one obligated not to say something which will not be listened to!”. It is even more incumbent on a father to make sure not to command his sons to do things which he thinks they might not do, for by doing so the father may transgress the prohibition of “You may not place a stumbling-block before a blind man!”. It is therefore incumbent on every man to use his sense, and act according to the type of son that he has.
