My mother never did the baby talk nonsense when i was born. She spoke to me like an actual being (or as toddler tracy used to say - "i am a human beast"). We have held differing belief systems since i was a child and sometimes that has brought on a level of conflict but nothing that has caused either of us mortal danger. My mom always believed that she was raising a leader and thus, for all the crap we faced (losing our home, days of -seemingly- endless hunger, being misunderstood, gossiped about and taken advantage of) we held our own because my mother is a Hutchings and she was raising... a leader. My home was filled with National Geographic and those 'You and Your Health' blue encyclopedias. And even though, she'd be pretty pissed when i wouldn't sit down (all the time) to an educational documentary, she knew how to move.
That is not to say i haven't gotten my share of "hurry-slap" and a cut-arse now and again and i know why; in a sense, i understand the logic. But see, my mother is exceedingly bright. Why whip the child when you can take away his television privileges - THAT... was tough for me - among other limiting pleasures. *Of course, me being me, i would act like i didn't care - go inside and write or something. Other times, mom would say look.... and move on. For the most part though, we understood each other. Mom had her share of mistakes - first/only child - and she herself admits that if she could do it over, she'd avoid them/do things better. But the intelligent creature standing before you (and over you - KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!) is not the product of a hard slap but nurturing and intelligence and prayers and love and reasoning and standing firm... and love; things i wouldn't mind passing on to Tao Nicholas (should i have a child, that's what i'd call him).
Which brings us to the crux of this article: you are not a successful law abiding contributor to society because you got your arse walloped (by parents, teachers, priests or the 'neighbah'), you are who you are because you were loved, nurtured and groomed into an actual human being or else, it is because, having come from a harrowing home you CHOOSE to be light in the world. This nonsensical notion that licks is the saviour of the lost is ridiculous. And i am not saying that some things do not merit a strong hand but a strong hand can take many forms instead of a whip. Because let's face it, as much as we chuckle about how we got licks and survived (is that what we want to do on Earth... survive?), most of us will NEVER want our children to experience that. We'd want to put our kids aside and explain to them the merit of their bodies and why social media is not the BEST FORUM to expose it. We would "train up a child in the way, he should go" by digging deep into their psyche to pull out their best selves because like my mother, you know you were raising something special. And if, you had to "slap some sense" into them, surely we would NOT post it on whatever social network of the future because, perhaps, that might not be the best logic in the world.
But who am i kidding: "in the good old days", the neighbour could've hit the child and then run tell the parents who then gave a double licking; those children grew up and equated the whip with success and now THEIR CHILDREN will call the radio stations laughing at how mom and dad used to 'cut their tail' and they turned out alright. Clearly 'alright' is the gold standard here.
Funny enough, the same social media that is the tool of the devil is the very same that is now a shining example of how to deal with a wayward child. Well done humans. indeed.
That is not to say i haven't gotten my share of "hurry-slap" and a cut-arse now and again and i know why; in a sense, i understand the logic. But see, my mother is exceedingly bright. Why whip the child when you can take away his television privileges - THAT... was tough for me - among other limiting pleasures. *Of course, me being me, i would act like i didn't care - go inside and write or something. Other times, mom would say look.... and move on. For the most part though, we understood each other. Mom had her share of mistakes - first/only child - and she herself admits that if she could do it over, she'd avoid them/do things better. But the intelligent creature standing before you (and over you - KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!) is not the product of a hard slap but nurturing and intelligence and prayers and love and reasoning and standing firm... and love; things i wouldn't mind passing on to Tao Nicholas (should i have a child, that's what i'd call him).
Which brings us to the crux of this article: you are not a successful law abiding contributor to society because you got your arse walloped (by parents, teachers, priests or the 'neighbah'), you are who you are because you were loved, nurtured and groomed into an actual human being or else, it is because, having come from a harrowing home you CHOOSE to be light in the world. This nonsensical notion that licks is the saviour of the lost is ridiculous. And i am not saying that some things do not merit a strong hand but a strong hand can take many forms instead of a whip. Because let's face it, as much as we chuckle about how we got licks and survived (is that what we want to do on Earth... survive?), most of us will NEVER want our children to experience that. We'd want to put our kids aside and explain to them the merit of their bodies and why social media is not the BEST FORUM to expose it. We would "train up a child in the way, he should go" by digging deep into their psyche to pull out their best selves because like my mother, you know you were raising something special. And if, you had to "slap some sense" into them, surely we would NOT post it on whatever social network of the future because, perhaps, that might not be the best logic in the world.
But who am i kidding: "in the good old days", the neighbour could've hit the child and then run tell the parents who then gave a double licking; those children grew up and equated the whip with success and now THEIR CHILDREN will call the radio stations laughing at how mom and dad used to 'cut their tail' and they turned out alright. Clearly 'alright' is the gold standard here.
Funny enough, the same social media that is the tool of the devil is the very same that is now a shining example of how to deal with a wayward child. Well done humans. indeed.
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