Sticks vs Switches

Once upon a time, young boys would find sticks and make toys out of them. A stick could be turned into a riding horse, a rifle, or a sword. The only limiting factor was our imagination.
Once we became a little older, maybe Grandpa would give us a jackknife. Then we would scrape the bark off the stick and be riding a shiny Palomino pony. If we were really lucky, some adult would find an old bicycle inner tube and then we had a saddle and reins for our horse.

A switch: A switch was bad news. We were ordered to go fetch a switch with which an adult would apply to our backsides for some indiscretion that we had done. All the while that we fetched the stick, we knew what we had done wrong. Didn't matter. We thought about the error in our ways,fetched the stick, and had it applied. It also didn't matter who the adult was. Uncle,Aunt,Grandmother,Mother or father they all had the authority to tell us to fetch the switch and then we got switched on our legs once or twice for our misdeed.


I miss the old days.

I only had to do that a few times that I can remember I must have missed some of that fun due where and how I grew up. We did get spanked in school and even high school gotcha a smack on the butt if you crossed the line and I got a few of those too.
I do think our country is missing out on some of those lessons we learned when getting disciplined was ok.
I think about the lack of discipline everytime in a store and hear that kid tossing a hissy fit cause he can't have what he wants. I bet if he was aware of punishment he would stop when told to do so.

I remember the walk from my grandparent's porch, out across the backyard, to the tree where I had to pick the switch that was going to get me. I could make that a pretty long walk, but it was only putting off the inevitable. LOL

I can also remember dad's belt across my butt. He could get that sucker unbuckled and off in 1 smooth motion, like some kind of gunfighter. LOL I'm sure it would be considered child abuse these days to smack a belt across your kid's butt a couple of times, but I'm pretty glad that he kept me in line. Once or twice with Dad's belt, and trust me....you thought twice about doing some boneheaded stunt again. While it was never anything hard enough to bruise or even make you red, you would have thought it was a bull-whip. LOL

Good stuff Tyme. My Mom could light a rear end up with a switch. She also never did it unless you really had it coming to. I worshipped that woman, I wish she was here now so I could talk to her some more. The old ways were the best ways and anybody that thinks otherwise is truely fooling themselves. Respect was earned and given out as it was suppose to be, thank you Mom and Dad for spanking my butt when it needed it.

Man i saw my mom use 3 switches ( Clubs ) about the size of your thumb on my sister for getting caught with her boyfriend. She left from church with him and never came home when she was supposed to. Dad told my brother and I too go over to teh barn lot away from teh house, cause we didn't need to hear the screams that my sister would be lettin out....Man did she get it..whooped her with each one till they broke into....Felt srry for her, but only thing that whoopin did for her, was make her elope with the dude and leave home within a week. :(