22 October 2009

Back in MY Day...

They used a longer paddle to swack me back in the day than they do on these young hoods today! And they did it in front of the whole class because that's an effective deterrent! Yuk, yuk. That's really funny. And it learned me good, too. So that's what we should do to these ruffians in Mississippi schools. Just swack 'em good. Happened to tens of thousands of kids in the state last year alone!

(I'm sure Mississippi will score very well on all standardized tests next year, because they done knocked some sense into these young'uns. You just wait and see if I'm not right.)

See, because the alternative to swacking them takes too much time out of our school day, and when we send kids HOME for Mom and Dad to deal with, we don't get state funding for those hours. That's more important than whether the kid learns anything or is treated with respect. We're busy. We don't want to take a little extra time and go over what the problem is and maybe think of an effective deterrent for next time. We don't want to change the environment at all or ask the child how we can help him stay in control. That's too touchy-feely and modern and stuff.

Oh! And by the way, I just want to reiterate that only professionals can swat kids with paddles. They're certified and all, so don't you try this at home. You pull that and CPS will take your kids away faster than you can say Jack Robinson. They think it's abuse; shame on 'em. But don't worry. Once you drop your kids off at school, we'll be sure to help them out with a good paddling or two when they step out of line. Don't trouble yourself with permission forms, because we don't need 'em.

In other news, I think those homeschoolers ought to be watched more closely. Some of them abuse their kids. Thanks for listening, y'all.

8 comments:

  1. "Oh! And by the way, I just want to reiterate that only professionals can swat kids with paddles. They're certified and all, so don't you try this at home."

    Oh, Mrs. C., you crack me up!

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  2. one of the "professionals" chuckled when talking about how "brutal" it was to be paddled !!!

    what?

    my son was grabbed and pushed by a lunch room aide once

    ONLY once

    that was 30 years ago and I bet that school is still talking about me

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  3. I chose paddling once. Yup. It was in 7th grade (I grew up in Texas). I was in trouble for talking--again. Had too many detention hours, so they gave me a choice a 1 day suspension or a paddling. I chose the paddling. That poor assistant principal/football coach didn't know what to do. That was back before they had a lady vice principal just for the girls. I thought it was great. I got my punishment over and done with and my parents didn't even know about it. Rock on!

    Just have to say--I now live in a country where "smacking" is technically illegal, but they say they won't prosecute anyone. Yea, it's a real deterrent. They have had more kids die from child abuse here in the last two years since the law went into effect than before.

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  4. Allison, sometimes ya gotta laugh or you'll cry. :p

    Dianne, I can just imagine what the scene there looked like. As a kid growing up in that era, I want to say THANK YOU for trying. THANK YOU.

    Bonnie, I have to tell you that I'm VERY pro-parental rights. I do think the New Zealand laws are way too far in the ditch one way, but some of the hands-off policies HSLDA seems to advocate go way the other direction.

    I just want to say that I don't think spanking is the way to go, but I can't judge other parents being imperfect myself. There is a line of real and serious abuse that ought to be addressed, though, and that line should be more lenient toward the untrained parents who live with the kids 24/7 no matter how sick they feel or what else is going on etc. than toward a "professional" who actually has training and a set of ethics in common and gets to go home at the end of his shift. JMO.

    School beatings and lockups are just wrong, wrong, wrong no matter how you slice it...

    I keep thinking on the whole "anti-spanking no matter what" culture though and have to wonder if it doesn't drive certain things underground. But I also have to wonder if it has ever stayed someone's hand or made them think of a more rational way to help a child.

    I don't know.

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  5. Child abuse is probably worse now where Bonnie lives because parents are at their wits end NOT giving their kids a swack on their behind when they need it. The kids know the new law and are probably saying "what are you gonna do about it mom?" Then the mom blows a fuse.

    I've had CPS called on me just because my son had a bruise on his arm. He even told them it was from playing swords with his brothers. That was the only time they saw a bruise too.

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  6. Oh--I don't advocate corporal punishment in schools. I think that is too much. There are better and more productive, not to mention less dangerous ways, to discipline a child at school. I would flip my lid if anyone else ever spanked one of my kids. I just think its funny that I chose to be paddled and that I was being paddled for talking in class.

    Anyway--abuse here is on the rise because we have done nothing here to combat child abuse. A parent occasionally spanking a child is not abuse in my eyes. There is a cultural disparity here when it comes to child abuse and no one wants to address it.

    We had a case a few weeks ago of a young girl (3) wandering away from the house and falling in a manhole and drowning. Her parents admitted they weren't watching her. It was an unfamiliar house (to the toddler) and they were busy. I happen to think that sounds like negligence, but the whole country rallies around them. I am heartbroken for them, but I am super diligent about watching my kids. Mostly because I could never live with myself if something like that happened to them while I was supposed to be watching them. So there is no talk of their culpability, but let me smack one of my kids in public and I would be investigated for child abuse.

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  7. Virginia, since many of my kids are on the autism spectrum, in my experience they don't always "need" the swat other people may think they do at that moment. So I'm really concerned that allowing schools to swat children (I mean, barring a "the kid had a gun and the only thing that stopped him from killing 50 people was the principal threatening him that he'd get a paddling for that" type of situation...) is actually counterproductive.

    I think if the schools want "parental involvement," they'd sure get it this way, but maybe not the sort they want. :]

    PS. CPS scares the daylights out of me. It would be better just to have the cops investigate. They are at least trained in Constitutional law. (Briefly, but at least trained.)

    I'm NOT going to get critical of parents who can stop at one spank. It just wasn't my experience growing up. :[

    Bonnie, I had not heard this story in the news. But sometimes when I read this stuff I know that it's something that could happen to me in an off moment. All it takes is one severe sickness, a moment of inattention, one other child's needs causing a distraction, etc. for something bad to happen.

    I have so many kids that I've literally tended to one emergency one place and had another happen in another. Then there's the fact that I'm lazy and like to sleep for about five hours a night.

    Well... I do try. But I think we can all be "negligent" at moments. I also think you are an excellent mom. I think you will reach and touch people where the "authorities" cannot with Christ's love.

    BLEH that sounded sappy. But I meant it when I typed it. LOL

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  8. Out here they used to use a cane which made the most frightful sound as it came down. Scared the living daylights out of the timid kids like me. On the other hand the school where the Head used it sparingly was the safest Public school I've ever been in. Now, even as an adult, I don't like being on school property. If the things the kids say & do make me feel unsafe how do the other kids feel? I'm not sure the arguement is for or against spanking per se; I suspect it's more about losing our respect for another person's humanity. *sigh* I'm getting old. I sure would be nice to have some of the answers by now!

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Non-troll comments always welcome! :)

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