Sunday, April 26, 2009

Consequences.

                                                                                               Delacroix

SIMPLY SNICKERS
gives this as one of  her choices this week.
 I fear the picture has inspired some Grandmotherly advice!

CONSEQUENCES

A charming picture of Mother Love, with the little cub at play,
But Mother's looking wary in an un-maternal way.
She knows her cub has sharp white teeth that are inclined to nip.
She knows her cub has short sharp claws that are inclined to rip.
Should her offspring overstep the mark she'd give a little growl,
Then, no doubt, she'd bite him until he gave a howl.
Not such a pretty picture, but Nature, itself, decrees
That parents teach their children  with methods such as these.
There's an awful lot of poppycock talked about 'the smack',
About how it harms young children somewhere down the track;
How they'll grow up brutalised by that little short, sharp shock,
And go round hitting everyone right around the clock!
I think a slap is natural and speedily forgotten.
(Of course, I don't mean beatings; they're absolutely rotten!)
A little slap, but not too soft, can say more than a shout,
And any toddler quickly learns what life is all about.
Before a child can understand a reasoned argument;
Before you can explain to him exactly what is meant,
A short sharp slap brings discipline, which everybody needs;
A child soon learns that 'consequences' follow doubtful deeds.
And, once the howling's over, then love comes into play;
Lots of kiss-and-cuddles, and then it's time to say
'Though sometimes I get angry with some naughty thing you do
Nothing in the world is going to stop me loving YOU!'

P.S
I smacked my two, in days gone by, if they were very naughty,
And now they're gorgeous adults, very well-behaved and (whisper) forty!
What's more they can't remember any discipline at all!
So, parents, don't let naughty toddlers drive you up the wall!





There are more reactions to SIMPLY SNICKERS suggestions below:

7 comments:

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
That is the chicken said...

Your blog is playing one of my all time favourite piecs of music ever...I know all the words!
Made me smile! I was looking for your shadow shot but stayed for the music!

Rosebud Collection said...

Beautiful picture..very interesting.

Roger Owen Green said...

Hi - this is an FYI, FWIW. If you want to send a link in the Blogger comments, I've only recently discovered that you can use then the text you want to hyperlink, say your name and completed by .

So, my Bea Arthur Url would be Bea Arthur, RIP. It's easier to drive the person directly to your site rather than having them cut and paste.

Barbara said...

Grandmotherly advice...something I seem to have plenty of. However, I can barely stand to see my grandchildren "smacked" even those I smacked my own. It just hurts my heart!

b

RAJI MUTHUKRISHNAN said...

Brenda, simply brilliant! And I am all in agreement with you. The P.S
"I smacked my two, in days gone by, if they were very naughty,
And now they're gorgeous adults, very well-behaved and (whisper) forty!
What's more they can't remember any discipline at all!" could have been written by me.

Thank you for telling me there is someone like me, because reading all the new-fangled ways to bring up kids, I was beginning to feel guilty!

And to be honest, regret every smack I gave.

Kat said...

There's a proverb in Tamil...

The hand that SMACKS
is the hand that HUGS..!!! (later :)))