Welcome to paradise and a new regime
Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 2:17 am
Once upon a time not so long ago an English family moved to another country.
A former colony where they had summer in January and the air was full of the sound of cicadas.
The family consisted of Mum, Dad Karen aged 14, John 13 and Sandra 11.
Mum and Dad were old fashioned parents who gave their children boundaries and remonstrated with them when they misbehaved.
Sometimes they gave them moderate smacks on their bottoms. Though still just legal this was frowned upon by many in the UK.
Mum and dad had begun to move away from this kind of discipline as the moderate smacks were having less and less effect on their offspring and they feared the consequences of putting some more oomph into the smacks.
The kids were aware of this gun-shyness and had begun to take advantage.
This was evidenced by the kids' behaviour on the flights to their new home.
The family began their new life in the house of an older couple named Bob and Sarah who had been friends and mentors of Mum and Dad in the early days of their marriage before emigrating to paradise ten years earlier.
Bob and Sarah's children had grown up in paradise with a kind of parenting that was no longer universally accepted in the UK.
For this was a place where parents and terachers were still permitted to use "reasonable force by way of correction" and the cane was and still is openly used in some private schools.
Mum and Dad had discussed matters of this nature with Bob and Sarah before they left for paradise and had received some advice.
The evening the family arrived the kids were sent to bed and the adults sat up and talked. Bob and Sarah listened gravely to Mum and Dad's report of the kids' behaviour on the flight.
"You'd best break the news to them after breakfast" said Bob.
Although they had been told to dress for breakfast the next morning the kids came to the table in their Pyjamas.
After the cereal and toast had been consumed Mum and Dad announced that things were going to be different from now on.
Bob produced a thin stick and demonstrated how flexible it was. Sarah explained that it had been used to encourage their children to behave.
Mum explained that the childrens behaviour on the flight had left a lot to be desired and that they would now be encouraged never to behave that way again. Each of them was to have a "wee sample" of what could be expected in future.
Bob smiled and asked who wanted to go first.
A former colony where they had summer in January and the air was full of the sound of cicadas.
The family consisted of Mum, Dad Karen aged 14, John 13 and Sandra 11.
Mum and Dad were old fashioned parents who gave their children boundaries and remonstrated with them when they misbehaved.
Sometimes they gave them moderate smacks on their bottoms. Though still just legal this was frowned upon by many in the UK.
Mum and dad had begun to move away from this kind of discipline as the moderate smacks were having less and less effect on their offspring and they feared the consequences of putting some more oomph into the smacks.
The kids were aware of this gun-shyness and had begun to take advantage.
This was evidenced by the kids' behaviour on the flights to their new home.
The family began their new life in the house of an older couple named Bob and Sarah who had been friends and mentors of Mum and Dad in the early days of their marriage before emigrating to paradise ten years earlier.
Bob and Sarah's children had grown up in paradise with a kind of parenting that was no longer universally accepted in the UK.
For this was a place where parents and terachers were still permitted to use "reasonable force by way of correction" and the cane was and still is openly used in some private schools.
Mum and Dad had discussed matters of this nature with Bob and Sarah before they left for paradise and had received some advice.
The evening the family arrived the kids were sent to bed and the adults sat up and talked. Bob and Sarah listened gravely to Mum and Dad's report of the kids' behaviour on the flight.
"You'd best break the news to them after breakfast" said Bob.
Although they had been told to dress for breakfast the next morning the kids came to the table in their Pyjamas.
After the cereal and toast had been consumed Mum and Dad announced that things were going to be different from now on.
Bob produced a thin stick and demonstrated how flexible it was. Sarah explained that it had been used to encourage their children to behave.
Mum explained that the childrens behaviour on the flight had left a lot to be desired and that they would now be encouraged never to behave that way again. Each of them was to have a "wee sample" of what could be expected in future.
Bob smiled and asked who wanted to go first.