George Putnam
Thursday, May 17, 2007

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"As the twig is bent, so grows the tree."

— Korean proverb

It is this reporter's opinion that today's young people have lost the meaning of the word "discipline."

To determine how this has happened, we don't have to look far: Children have got to be taught from a very early age, and parents are simply remiss in this regard.

Discipline must begin at home. We must learn there are consequences for our actions.

We must be taught that right and wrong are not relative to one's bank balance or popularity. And we must learn that none of us is above the punishment that goes with indiscretions.

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Gone are the days when school was taught with a hickory stick.

An unruly kid was soon dealt with, often on the backside. But today all too many teachers are leaving the profession because of discipline issues and — all too often — rude parents.

A friend of mine, an old-fashioned sort of teacher, tells me of having to intervene over and over again for young substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students who raise hell with female teachers by throwing things and verbally abusing them.

The teachers erupt in tears.

Discipline is also dependent on a good relationship between parent and teacher.

Being a proper parent means praising a child when he or she does well and applying proper discipline when the kid makes an ass of himself.

Proper parenting requires a structure of rules and a routine.

We are constantly inundated with stories of bad behavior. Recently, Paris Hilton drove 75 miles-per-hour under the influence of alcohol. She was apprehended, and her license was suspended.

Although she was put on probation, Paris considered herself above the law and violated her probation.

Tragically, Paris and her parents are only incensed because she is being treated exactly as the rest of us would be treated under similar circumstances.

Typical of the spoiled and arrogant elite.

Children born into abject poverty with no parental guidance, father gone from the scene, struggling on the streets just to survive, could blame their unfortunate circumstances for their misconduct.

But not so Paris. She has no excuse. Paris, born into an opulent and affluent lifestyle, cannot blame her upbringing.

Paris thumbed her nose at the judge, her publicist, a prosecutor, and everybody else involved with the case. Then she went directly to California's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to ask for a pardon.

Paris's mother was equally confrontational with both the judge and the prosecutor.

The words like "pathetic, ludicrous" were used by both mother and daughter to describe the verdict and her sentence.

Paris has not learned respect for herself, or how to be a better person. She is old enough to know right from wrong and to accept responsibility for herself.

As the twig was bent, we've now got a crooked tree.

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