The Old Coot won’t go out on a limb.
In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin
in a damp New England kitchen while also attending to her 6 children. The book caused
the greatest stir in American literature since Thomas Paine’s, Common Sense,
selling 300,000 copies in its first year.
It received an even bigger reaction in Europe, causing over half a
million women in England to sign an anti-slavery petition. She attended crowded
receptions, first in England and then with an extended stay in France.
She particularly loved sitting beneath the trees in the
Garden of the Tuileries in Paris, watching families come to spend the day,
while legions of boys and girls were frolicking, racing, playing ball, etc.
without making a hideous racket. Unlike what
she experienced in America. (*)
Now to my point, if I could, I’d say to Harriet, “Nothing much
has changed in America; it has gotten even worse. You can't go to a beach or
public park without loud yelps and screams filling the air. (Now, accompanied
by barking dogs). Just the other night we were having dinner on an
outdoor patio at a restaurant. Two kids were running around, fighting, yelling
and screaming. Where were the parents? Inside, sitting at the bar, totally oblivious.
I've experienced
noisy kids running in a disturbing and noisy way for decades. Always asking myself,
“Why don't the parents do anything about it?” I know enough not to scold a kid myself.
I don’t want to climb out on that limb. I’d end up with a black eye or being
escorted away by a police officer. And, be labeled an “Old Foggie.” My deepest
sympathy goes to the teachers who deal with this modern-day version of
undisciplined offspring.
It wasn’t always a bad as it is today. It’s been a gradual
change over time. When I grew the whole village (or neighborhood) not only
helped raise us; they disciplined us as well Many times I was scolded by a
stranger or felt the vicelike grip of a little old lady on my earlobe. The most
effective of all was being told, “Young man, if you don't behave, I'm going to
tell your mother!” That would do it. You didn't want to hear your mother say,
“Wait until your father gets home!” In my case, I didn’t have to wait; my
mother handled it right then. A slap on the back of the head, a switch to the
legs follow by being sent to my room. No TVs in kid’s rooms; no cell phones or
electronic devices. Hearing a parent say, “Go to your room,” was the worst punishment
of all for kids who wanted nothing more than to be outside.
(*) The Harriet Beecher Stowe information came
from “History Matters” quoting David McCullough from an essay called “The Unexpected
Mrs. Stowe.
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