Up A Tree...

My friend in California grows a lot of vegetables, and has
a beautiful garden. I asked her once if she had any kids,
and she said, "No. That's why I have my garden--
the garden won't talk back to me."
We both laughed, but truer words were never spoken.

Mouthing off at parents, or adults of authority seems
to be a common thing in some households.
I've seen young children kicking or smacking their parents.

Supernanny and Nanny 911 are TV shows which exhibit
horrendous behavior issues.
I boil inside when the TV kids talk back to their parents.
The parents need a lobotomy for allowing that type of behavior,
and the older kids need "boot camp."

Mom had quite effective means of dealing with my own or my
brother's bad behavior.
We had to climb up the tree in our backyard and break
off a branch. Getting swatted with that switch was stinging
and memorable. Dad had a small paddle and a leather belt.
A few swats cured us both.
I also remember how the bar of Lava soap tasted.

Jen and Paul remember how I used to swat their butts.
They deserved to know, through my actions or Tom's,
that their bad behavior wouldn't be tolerated.

Some people would consider those actions child abuse.
Others in my age group whom I've spoken to remember well
those forms of discipline, and feel that some parents talk too
much to their children.
Tom and I have managed to raise two loving and respectful
children, There isn't anything we would've done differently.