Maybe I'm just jealous of you guys being able to "express" your rebellious
cravings as a youth. ;-)
I graduated from High School in 1962 with a crew cut and not allowed to even
wear jeans. Oldest of 8 kids, I had to work my way through a couple of years
of college, so never had the money to be able to buy the clothes in style
with my peers. I then had to drop out of college and work to help support
the family when Dad got ill. Of course a draft notice followed and I spent
the next 13 years in the Air Force, mostly in Europe and in Southeast Asia.
I was 34 when I got out of the Air Force in 1977 and knew by then what was
important in life and what wasn't. Throughout my teens I had to be
responsible and help with the family. That was obvious to me. They didn't
even have to tell me.
I see a few kids these days who have had it "rough" according to modern
standards. Those kids are turning out just fine. (I never once thought of
it that way when I was growing up - hell! I knew kids who had it rougher
than me!) Its the ones who are given everything, who don't have to extend
themselves in the slightest to get whatever they want, who aren't given any
responsibilities "because they are too young to understand (BS!)" who end up
smarting off to cops and generally aggravating humanity around them. That's
also the group most of the druggies, homless and criminals come out of
according to the social scientists.
You want your kid to turn out decent? Give them responsibility for some
things early in life and hold them to the results.
The remarkable thing about parenting is that all parents are rookies at it
and have to learn on the job. If you get it wrong, there's not much you can
do to fix it.
Cheers!!
Jim
On 2/16/08, David Booker <tncarnut1@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> "I expect the adults back in the mid 60's that saw me walking the mall
> in cut
> off jeans and a sweatshirt with torn off sleeves inside out, with hair
> teased to emulate Bob Dylan, would be very surprised to find me an old
> fat,
> reasonably successful business man."
>
> Same goes for the 70's adults who looked at me warily with my flip
> flops, holey jeans, black Hendrix shirts, beard and curly hair half way down
> my back. Whodathunk that guy would ever hold down corporate gigs, support a
> family and own a house? (at least I still drive cars that make most people
> think I'm weird...)
>
> - David
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