Thank goodness for snack breaks!
I miss the good old days when parents spanked their kids. Not in an abusive sort of way, but in a way that the kids knew who was boss and what would happen if they mis-behaved in any way, shape, or form ever again.
When did we go from that era to this new era of coddling kids? I can tell you right now, I am glad I grew up when I did and had my rear end blistered a few times. You learned from your mistakes and in a way it made you better person. I am really scared for the future of this country, because it has all been handed to these kids and they are praised for doing simple things children should be doing anyways.
We have kids participating in sports where no score is kept, you keep swinging until you get a hit and you have snacks at halftime. Back in the day, I would run so hard for so long, just playing after school, that I would lose my lunch in the neighbor’s rose bushes, wipe my chin and keep on running until it was so dark I couldn’t see. If a kid yaks these days, they have contracted a new virus (the dreaded house cat virus that has you hacking up hairballs for weeks) and will miss a week of school.
Friends, there are winners and losers in life. That is just the way it is. Would you rather they find this out playing t-ball or after they have lost a job because of a confrontation with their boss over a difference of opinion? If you don’t want your child living with you until retirement, I suggest keeping score.
It is difficult for me to attend my niece’s games. I typically yell at her or the other children the entire game. Most of these kids don’t even understand the rules of the game being played. The ball gets kicked out-of-bounds in soccer and they are looking around at each other like, “Uh oh. What do we do now? Is it almost half-time? I am a little dry and a banana sure does sound good.”
After the game they make “Winner” bridges for their opponents to run through. I cannot even imagine. At the end of my games, we would line up and pass each other single file, touch hands and just say, “Good game”. I might have been a little high-strung because I was looking out for the player that rode my ass the whole game and when I got to them I would give him the evil eye and pull my hand back. I have always been a bit too competitive.
You see, I was raised by parents that didn’t coddle me. I learned how to play catch with my father out in the backyard when I was 5. It went like this…
Dad: I am going to throw this baseball at your head as hard as I can (a real baseball). You can either catch it, knock it down or get hit in the head.
Me: What????
Conk.
I never missed the ball again.
This could also explain a few other things about me for instance; I have difficulties remembering most of 1st grade and all of my birthdays.
Can someone build a “Winner” bridge for me to run under so I feel better about this??
