by Ruth Greb

Created on: August 22, 2008

Our children and grandchildren are the future leaders of our country. I think for the good future for them, for us and for all the age brackets between, it is important that they learn to respect parents, teachers, the elderly and the officials in charge at the moment including the police.

If they are not taught or forced to learn respect, they will not be able to protect even themselves or their own family in the future when parents and grand parents are needing protection. I am very afraid that the younger generation is not being forced or encouraged to have the respect that is so needed for the future of this country.

Yes, having a teacher or a baby sitter spank a kid might be a 'not allowed' thing today or even yesterday, but I certainly remember the threat from home when I was growing up that 'if I got a spanking in school, I would also get one when I got home!' Enough said! I never got a spanking at school but came close a few times and the threat of getting another one when I got home made me think twice about it. And, I was a girl!

I am now a grandmother-almost old enough to be a great grandmother! I raised my kids the same way as I was raised and they are raising their kids the same. I think that if discipline fits in the family, it carries out from generation to generation.

When I hear of people suing the school because their kid got in trouble or when teachers are afraid to even give detention to unruly kids, it makes me fear for future generations. Parents need to back up the schools and teachers to stop this approach. Teachers have their hands tied by parents who do not want their Suzie or Johnnie to have any discipline at school or do not want to hear that Suzie or Johnnie are problems at school. I think parents need to 'let go' of Suzie or Johnnie and cooperate with the kids' teachers to make their school expreience as productive as possible and, if the kid needs discipline so he or she does not interfere with the learning of the other kids, then the parent needs to help thier own kids learn that school is for their benefit and hand out appropriate discipline depending on what the teacher reports.

I am not totally in favor of teachers paddling kids but I do feel their hands are tied as far as other forms of disciplane. I do fear also for the values our young people are learning by thinking Mom or Dad will bail them out even if they misbehave.

If I had it all to do over, nothing would change from how I raised my kids. I will never forget the day as a young mother when I was in a grocery store and my young daughter was acting up. I pulled her out of the grocery cart, turned her upside down and paddled her butt then put her back in the cart. That was about the time all this 'don't spank a child' stuff was beginning. An older lady walked up to me and I was afraid I would go to jail for child abuse. What this lady said has stuck with me for many years since that little girl is now 43 years old. This little old lady said 'if more mothers would do that, shopping would be more pleasant for the rest of us!" ENOUGH SAID!

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