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Originally Posted by ruth1304
My sister is 12 years younger than me so I knew what it was like to be around small children. I was amazed when I heard my friends talking about having children when we were in our early twenties - most of them had never held a baby let alone changed a nappy. When trying to explain how I felt about children the best I could come up with was "I love them, but you can't switch them off."
I had a lot of experiences with my sister that my friends have had with their children. I remember saying something to her and realising I sounded just like my mum, and it certainly helped me to understand my parents better. I also remember when she wouldn't stop screaming one day (she must have been two or three at the time) I reached my limits and screamed back, at which point she stopped, looking extremely surprised. I also learnt that however horrible she was, and however many times she said "I hate you" I couldn't say it back. No matter what she did, how irritated or frustrated I got, I loved her.
It's wonderful now because we swap books, visit each other and she's old enough to give me lifts. I don't think I gave her too many scars (although I have one or two embarrassing photos). I wouldn't rule out having children of my own, but I don't feel it's something I must do, and I know that not only would children change my life, there would be a lot of work, patience and responsibility involved as well as all the good things. I admire most parents, because what they're doing isn't easy and most children aren't bad, it's just that everyone notices the naughty/noisy ones!
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When we decided to have children, I knew I would raise my children much differently than how my parents raised me.
As time went by, I realized that my parents did the best that they could and that they actually did a pretty good job of raising us all. Raising my own children gave me a better understanding and a more sympathetic view of my parents. Although, when I am fussing with my 22 year old daughter and she wants to put me in my place, she will say, "You sound just like Grandma!" It usually stops me in my tracks!
Sometimes being like my mother is a good thing and sometimes it's a bad thing. It just depends on the situation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Let me elaborate then, Sparrow. I know that many people will probably throw up their hands in horror, but I am firmly in favour of judiciously-applied corporal punishment. When we were in school, if we gave teachers any "lip" it was a ruler across the palm of the hands (and that hurt); most kids very quickly learned politeness as a result. When I see the local "yobs" hanging around the village where I live today, giving cheek to everyone, and with absolutely no respect for anyone, I am utterly convinced that a few good "canings" earlier in life would have made them far more polite and better-mannered teenagers than they are.
Since, however, I do not have any children, those with contrary opinions can rest easy in the knowledge that my views are purely theoretical, and I do not put them into practice.
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As a teacher, I don't believe in corporal punishment. I had my knuckles rapped a time or two and only learned to resent the rapper. However, the pendulum has swung so far the other way that teachers have very little disciplinary recourse. We are not supposed to embarrass the student in any way and can only take away 1/2 of their recess. You can't assign additional work or keep a child after school. If we send notes home or call a parent, more often then not, the parent blames the teacher for lacking understanding of their child. Parents make excuses for their child's behaviour.
When I misbehaved in school (and I did), there were consequences when I got home and those consequences were not pleasant.
I use positive reinforcement in my classroom, children earn rewards for good behaviour. It works for the majority of students, but there are a few who would probably respond better with more negative consequences, but the bottom line is that teachers need more support from parents.