Went on a tour of the old jail today, grandkids in tow. The kids followed the tourguide around, wide-eyed, taking in the cells and bars and gallows, the moonshine still and pictures of the revenuers on the wall, the almost empty mason jar of moonshine (what happened to the rest of it?) that we all got to smell, the tales of how folks would hook up a rope to the barred windows from the outside, and pull out bars, windows, and all with their vehicles. There were living quarters for the sheriff and his family, the kitchen where the sheriff's wife would cook for her family as well as for the prisoners, passing the food through the little opening in the kitchen wall over to the prisoner's side. There was a peephole in the wall in the kids' room to watch the prisoners come and go.
I was reminded of Andy Taylor and Aunt Bee. Andy sitting out on the front porch in the rocker, Aunt Bee cooking and bringing food for the prisoners. I can imagine Barney peeking in on the prisoners through the peep hole, Otis sleeping it off in one of the cells, and Ernest T. Bass throwing rocks in the windows. And Opie asking lots of questions (like Racheal did today), starting with "Paw. . ."
Seems like one or more of our grandkids is always getting in trouble, just bein kids, grounded for this or that. Just imagine what Barney would say. . .
Well, today's eight-year-olds are tomorrow's teenagers. I say this calls for action and now. Nip it in the bud. First sign of youngsters going wrong, you've got to nip it in the bud. Well, don't just mollycoddle them. Nip it. You go read any book on the subject of child discipline and you'll find every one of them is in favor of bud-nipping.
