"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...


The cops would look out for the kids and if things were getting out of
hand, made sure they got back under control just by saying "Hey, I saw
the Mother (or Father) the other night at...". The Harbor Master and
Police boat always knew where we were. More than one occasion when we
got up to something stupid, you'd see the Police or Harbor Master
boats slowly move out of the harbor and just be present - it was
enough to keep things calm and un stupid.



Those were days when parents were not afraid to discipline kids when they
needed it.
As a kid my father, at over 6' 4" and 235 lbs was an imposing figure and one
that I really didn't want to **** off by getting caught doing something
stupid. He never physically hit me though ... unless I broke one rule ...
and that was being mouthy or disrespectful to my mother. Then, all hell
would break loose.

My mother, on the other hand, often tried to take matters in her own hands
out of pure frustration. If I really screwed up she'd give me a whack with
whatever she found handy. I remember one time she came after me for doing
something I shouldn't (or maybe it was for *not* doing something I should
have) with a big, wide plastic belt from her raincoat or something. She
let me have it, but the stupid thing was so lightweight I could hardly feel
it. So, being the creative genius that I was at the time, I put on quite a
show of dancing around, yelling "ouch" and whatever while begging her to
stop. She decided the belt would now be her weapon of choice when I needed
some correction. I got away with it for quite a while until one day I
couldn't control myself and started laughing my ass off as she, all red in
the face, whacked away.

Eisboch