I'm not a lover of violence really. Not the hard core stuff anyways!
I'm all for giving the kids a good slap when they deserve it tho, I reckon if parents did a bit more chastising of their kids when they were little there would be a lot more respect going on.
I don't mean bashing them around the head or even leaving a mark when slapping their legs, just a medium sized slap does the trick I've found.
I last had cause to slap Beth when she was 2. That was 14 years ago. It was potty training time and a very frustrating time as I'm sure any mothers can relate to.
I sat her on the pot.
'Wee wee' said Beth's mum
'No' said Beth
Five minutes went by.
'Wee wee' said BM
'No' said Beth
Another five minutes and
'Have a wee wee, please' said BM
'No' said Beth
Two minutes later
'Are you sure you don't need a wee wee?' says BM
'No' says Beth
I took that to mean she didn't need to do anything and allowed her to rise from the pot.
I watched her as she toddled out into the garden, all chubby little legs and new white knickers from M&S.
She stopped 5 yards from me and after a bit of a strain, there appeared the biggest lump in the back of those new pants!
A red mist appeared and I shot out and gave her a sharp slap on the back of her leg. You little sh*t! (I thought)
I swear to God, from that day on she was potty trained! We never had a 'mistake' again.
So back to the point of this post.
I'm not a lover of violence, except to naughty kids and terrorists so I was quite dismayed when I saw this clip on the news.
I've been to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and found it a wonderful peaceful place. That was except for the soldiers sitting in the watch towers which I thought was an awful shame.
I went down the steps to the place where Jesus was born and kneeled at his birth place. It was very special and I will remember it as one of those special places I've visited (that and Bob Marley's birth place).
C'mon boys! Get a bloody grip, this is a Church for Christ's sake!