And, they wonder why our parents whupped our asses…
There’s a big debate about corporal punishment being administered in the public school systems. Advocates are on both sides of this issue. Some people believe that paddling school-aged children is a bit archaic; others insist that using the “board of education” is a necessary evil to reign in kids who won’t respond to reasonable instruction. There is one thing for sure; studies show that parents who discipline their kids while they are young tend to see those kids succeed in life more often. It is not a fool-proof hypothesis; however, there are some kids who still manage to slip through the cracks.
What’s separates “good” kids from “bad” kids, in my opinion, is parenting. It may take a village to raise a child, but it only takes one parent to whup that ass into submission when all else fails. I honestly believe that the demise of schools in districts across America started when teachers were forced to share valuable instruction time with babysitting duty. Yes, I said it. We (educators) babysit more than we teach. It didn’t used to be that way back in the “day”. My next statement doesn’t have any data confirming what I’m about to say, but I ‘m sure I can dig some up on Google: The Baby Boomer generation is a whole lot smarter than our Generation X counterparts of today. The main reason for this is because of the discipline procedures of yesteryear. That included ass-whuppings.
And, they wonder why our parents whupped our asses…
I remember receiving three (3) whuppings when I was a kid. The first one was for stealing an eraser out of the back-to-school section in a grocery stoe. I was 6 years old. It was being displayed openly in a little tub-like thangy and I just walked up there and stuck one in my pocket. I don’t know why I did it. I guess I just wanted an eraser. It was in 1965. My dad watched me do it and as soon as we got to the register to pay for our other items, he told me to take it out of my pocket and put it on the counter so he could pay for it. “Mr. White Man” watched the entire scenario unfold from start to finish, never saying a word. My dad knew this. When I got home, I got a loving explanation on why I should not steal from my dad followed by ass-whupping I still remember some 50 years later. I didn’t like erasers no mo. My mom gave me my second one for forgetting to take out tha trash and missing the garbage truck as it rolled pass our house and through the neighborhood. I was still full from eating those “beans and conebread” from the night before and overslept. Bishop Spivey also gave me my last whupping for acting “mannish” in front of a church full of girls during Vacation Bible School. I didn’t like girls no mo. I’m lying.
I learned three things from those experiences: 1. Discipline, 2. Discipline, 3.Discipline
My parents NEVER had to come up to the school house to discipline me. I was never written up, never suspended, never got a call home from a teacher, and I never failed a class. I was a pretty good student. I messed up a little bit when I got to college and started “smelling myself”. I got outha house and acted like most freshmen did, eventually dropping out, having kids, and getting married. Still, during all of my adventures I remained disciplined and kept learning. With God’s help, I got other chances/opportunities. I didn’t fall through the cracks. I am one of the fortunate ones…
Young people: Be grateful for parents who are not afraid to discipline you and keep you on the right track. Be glad that you have a fighting chance to become something special in life. You don’t want to be a statistic. Look around; notice that you have things that other kids don’t have. If you are in college, stay there and learn as much as you can while you’re still young. Do the right thing. When you look back over your life as you get older, try to recall some of those ass-whuppings you got when you were younger. What did you learn from them and why do you think yo parents disciplined you the way they did? If you are reading this, you’re still here because of yo parent’s love and God’s grace and mercy. Take advantage of it. You may grow up saying that you’ll “never” whup yo kids when you have some. You may decide to use some other form of correction, but you still need to teach yo children how to act. Especially, in school. But, if they ever steal an eraser, you might need to whup that ass. God bless, good night, and keep yo families together.
