By Leesville Mayor Rick Allen

I have noticed that while in public, children push their parents right to the edge. My mom and dad didn’t have to yell or threaten us in public, they just gave you that look. We understood very well what was fixing to happen, if whatever we were doing didn’t cease immediately. There were no negotiations, no give me a minute and definitely no time outs.

I’m not saying my parents beat us, but what I am saying is that when we needed a whipping, we got it.

Recently I overheard a little boy around the age of 7 tell his mom to shut up. If I had done that, the next thing to happen would have been me seeing stars.

Honestly, I’m thankful that my parents were strict.

Have I changed the way I parent? Of course. Mainly because times have changed and things that kids are exposed to are different. But it doesn’t mean that I relax the rules; it means I have to protect them against different things.

Guardrails on the road are an important safety feature and also in life. On the road they protect you from running into a ditch or creek. When I hear people say, “They have to learn on their own,” I also think what good would guardrails be on the other side of the ditch. So, I think that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

If I know something will lead you to trouble and I don’t warn my children or adjust their behavior, then I’m at fault. Sometimes old school raising is far better.

I heard a wise man say a GPS with a hole in it is a paper weight but a map with a hole in it is still a map. When we deal with unruly juveniles it’s usually because discipline at home is nonexistent. The Bible is very clear about discipline and respecting your parents but pastors shy away from the subject not to offend anyone.

Maybe it’s time to hurts some people’s feelings to save their life.