A popular rant of some parents that I can remember, was: "Do you want some of this?" This being a form of corporal punishment, be that a slipper or a hand. What a stupid thing to say. Can you imagine their surprise if the kid had the nerve to say: "Ooh yes please, I'm a latent masochist, bring it on!" Saying something like that I would probably had seven bells knocked out of me. Actually my Father never touched any of us, the threat was enough.
My father's disapproval was a withering stare over the top of his glasses. It was a lesson that I never forgot. Many years later, by now the manager in charge, when some reprobate stood in front of me giving me a load of bullshine, I would allow my specs to slide down my nose just enough to give the recalcitrant the perfect withering stare that I had learned from my Father. It worked every time.
When I say "we" I mean me and my friends because I was raised as an only child. Our parents and grandparents did not play. We had respect and a healthy sense of fear of them. And guess what........we didn't curse in front of them or at them, or do what we wanted when we wanted. And we didn't disrespect our teachers, assault them or shoot up schools.
