Were You Ever Drugged By Your Parents?

Now before you think of something really awful, please read on and see what I mean by the word “drugged”.
I cannot take credit for this story. It is something someone sent me and it is something I wanted to share with you all in case you have not seen it.

“The other day, a friend in my town read that a Meth lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county.
He turned to me and asked me a rhetorical question: "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"
I told him that I did have a drug problem when I was young:
I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity.
I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields.
I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.
Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's kids had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.“


Do you agree with this statement? I do in part.
Though I do remember being “drugged” to do some things I don’t remember always having to be made to do something. Sometimes I just knew it was the right thing to do or just realized it needed to be done so I went ahead and did it on my own without the necessary dragging out to do it. But that also came from being brought up “right”. The way I was taught helped to prepare me for being the responsible, law abiding person I am today. It was no accident. It came from the strict upbringing I had.

There is no illusive reason as to why there is so much crime and drugs today.
Most all of it stems from the upbringing these kids have had.
We need to bring back the strictness in raising children both at home and in schools. Of course, I’m not talking about beatings. Though I do believe in some spanking, I believe there are far better ways of punishing a child I’m sure I’ll master better as my child get older.

We do however need to bring back the strict upbringing so many of us had. I had a great deal of respect for my parents and the adults in my life – teachers, police, neighbors. That respect went hand in hand with a healthy dose of fear. Yes, fear of my parents. Not the fear of someone who is abused, but the fear of knowing the consequences of my actions. Actions I knew were wrong. That is a healthy fear. The kind of fear that teaches you the valuable lesson of, “I’ll never do that again!”

I want my son to grow in part the same way I did. Not in all ways, but I would like to teach him the one thing my parents taught me. That is, “You better be more afraid of me and what I’m going to do to you than by what the police (or teachers, etc) will do to you if you break the law and do that’. Whatever “that” was at the time. See I knew that if I was to get caught, and I knew you always end up getting caught eventually, that if my parents ever found out I was “dead” so to speak. I was afraid of the consequences of my actions. It kept me out of trouble and allowed me to stand up to my peers who may have been trying to pressure me into doing something I knew was wrong. That “fear” allowed me to tell them to forget it, leave me out of it. Good thing too because sometimes when I bowed out my friends got caught and were in trouble big time. I’ll I could say to myself was, “WHEW! Glad I didn’t go with them!”

Do you want your children to grow up being afraid of the consequences of bad actions? If you do, then pull out one or two ways you may have been brought up and apply them. Don’t have any good memories of your upbringing? Then look to people who have well behaved children. I’ll bet in addition to a lot of love in their house you will also find a healthy dose of discipline. Ask them how they do it.

I have to go now. My son is doing something he knows he’s not allowed to do and it’s time to show him the consequences of his actions with a little age appropriate discipline. A one minute time out. ;)