Parenting in the '60s

I must say, I think my parents must be spectacular.  Why?  Because I'm still alive today.

 

• My bottles were glass - what if I dropped on?  It would have probably shattered, and their home would have been quarantined until every shard was found
• I use to sleep in my Halloween costume.  It was a clown, made with flannel and most likely not fire retardant
• A car seat...Never heard of one.  The earliest cars I remember would send chills up the spine of the politically correct parents of today.  A four door Ford - if I wasn't laying on the floor I was freely bouncing around in the car.  And don't forget the Corvette, I was person #3 in a two person vehicle
• My parents use to tell me to go out and play.  They didn't follow me and I can distinctly remember not having them with me when my friend and I walked to Target. 
• When my father taught me how to ride a bike, it was in the middle of the street and without having every inch of being padded.  If I'm not mistaken, I was wearing my flammable PJs.  One good fall and I could gone up in flames.
• I grew up prior to garage door openers, and my mother insisted that I open and close the garage door.  Have you ever felt the weight of one of those?  Think of what could have happened.  Not to mention, when I closed the garage door I pulled on a rope, I could have hung myself, Oh my!!

Today, there was a warning on the news about roll up blinds and how they should be removed from the home, as a child could become rolled up in the blinds.  OMG!  What in the world happened to telling a child no, that's not a toy?  When my son was insisting on biting his friends at daycare if they angered him, the director called asking for help concerning this behavior.

 

The politically correct way to discipline a biter LESS THAN 2 YEARS OLD is to explain to them that they need to use their words and make better choices.  They're two!!  I told the director to spank the child and tell him NO!  Well, that's not allowed.  Well then I thought, it's up to the adults there to make better choices. 

 

If you cant/won't discipline a child, if you don't teach and demonstrate when necessary, what is right and wrong, you'll be in a world of hurt later.  Put some trust in the child, believe that you've done all you can and then let the child lead a normal life.  I didn't cover each electrical outlet, I didn't pad all the corners in my home.  I teach my children the proper way to respect a stove.  I didn't lock down my cabinets, I told my children no.  When they would mouth off, I would clean their dirty mouths with dish soap. 

 

It's incredible how peaceful life can be with a child who knows how to behave, and not struggle with words and choices.