Sunday, June 12, 2005

Children found hogtied

If once wasn't enough, it's happened again! As reported here, a 10 year old boy was found wandering the streets at 4:30 in the morning by police, and he stated that he had escaped being hogtied by his grandparents! This is outrageous!

Although there is no mention in the report for the reason the kids were hogtied, I'm pretty sure it was because they were being "unruly". Folks, kids will be "unruly" - it's part of the "job description" for being a kid - but that does NOT give adults a reason, let alone the right, to tie them up! Heck, when I was a kid, I was unruly at times, causing my mother no end of frustration, I'm sure. But, she NEVER, EVER had to tie me up!

My parents set boundaries for us kids (including our friends, too, I might add) for appropriate behavior. When we overstepped those boundaries, we suffered the consequences of our improper behavior by getting a (gasp!) spanking, and afterwards (at least in my case, anyway) a stern talking to, to ensure we understood where we had gone wrong. But, good grief, they never had to tie us up!

If you have kids, show them that you love them by setting boundaries for them, and let them know what the consequences will be when they overstep those boundaries, so they can be the kids they are. When they overstep those boundaries - and they will I assure you - keep your word, and mete out the appropriate punishment, and then have a little chat with them so they know where they messed up. By showing your love for your kids in this manner, they will be less inclined to be "unruly", as they know they will suffer consequences for their actions. But, please - don't tie them up! If you do, you'll suffer the consequences for your actions!

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