Unusually Sane?

As new technologies are released to the amazed public and while babies are born and people get old, so are out of this world things take place. Other "out of this world things" are even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records which are usually made by man purposely for recording. And, of course the people who do it are not insane!

Just like one late February afternoon, I went for my rounds of jogging around the Freedom Park of our university. I saw a man probably in his late 60's having his afternoon walk but with what I thought at first glance, was a roan-colored small dog. The animal was dressed in a cream girl's spaghetti shirt. I was astonished at second glance that it was a baby goat! Instead of jogging past them, I walked in their pace and made sure that what I was seeing was really a goat. It was! A pet goat! Of course, I giggled to myself because it was really out of the ordinary to have a leisure walk with a goat! Goats are raised purposely as source of milk and meat. And in almost all of the provinces of northern Philippines, goat meat is a common delicacy. I began to wonder what the world is now doing with the minds of people!

The following weekend, I went for an early morning walk and saw the same old man with a stick in hand but this time walking with a rooster! 'This man is really amusing!' so I took time to watch them together. They went to an entrance of one of the buildings where there was a stair. He let the rooster get up, up and down the stairs with the help of the stick and was even talking to it in English. If the rooster reached the topmost stair, it's master would command it to crow. It would really flap its wings and do its morning crow boasting in triumph. Later, they approached a nearby iron pole around 3 meters long lying at breast level. The rooster was again commanded to walk on it and cross to the other end. Every time the rooster accomplished one task, it would crow and was given a reward of corn bits. What an amusement that morning!

I often saw the pair on their regular morning routine during the months that followed. The goat who has already grown up was taken for walks usually in the late afternoons.

Almost two years passed since I first saw this man with his pet goat and I was back to work when I watched them featured in one of the documentary segments on television. I learned that the rooster was named Robinhood and the goat, as Sandara.

What made this man treat a rooster and a goat the way pet dogs are taken cared of? This man wanted to teach something to everyone through his unusual efforts with Robinhood and Sandara. But for me, "Lolo" remains one of the "out of this world" animal lover.

oOo

During my semesters in the university I always had an early morning class which started from either 6:30 or 7:00. One morning I was walking to my class around 6:00 when I met a young gentleman. (One needs to keep his legs strong if in this university since students usually walk to and from distant buildings). He was fair-skinned and had clean-cut hairdo. He was wearing a neatly ironed pair of gray slacks and light-blue trousers. He was in necktie, in very-well polished pair of black shoes and was wearing a black shades (at an early morning). He was carrying a black portfolio in one hand and was pulling a string on the other hand. He was actually pulling a small marine toy car! UUuuuHHHH!!!! what a questionable look!!!! What's going on guy????!!!

Two days after, I came from the university's main library and was going for a noontime break. I saw this guy again walking around the vicinity of the library in the same looks!

I learned later from friends who happened to see him also that he was a neophyte of a certain fraternity undergoing a series of initiations!

The Irony of Parenting

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." ( KJV 1611) This verse holds a very rich message that every parent must heed.

I am a mother of a little girl who just turned six three weeks ago. Through her years I felt guilty of my sudden reactions when she misbehaved. I admit that there were times when I was at the verge of my anger I would resort to my leather belt in my aim to stop her from misbehaving and instead obey my commands. To my surprise though, many times she never admitted lose. In retaliation, she would all the more wail, kick, roll on the floor and throw anything that her little hands could reach.

Several times I asked myself why tots today act the way they do. I have witnessed children dominating their moms in malls, buses, restaurants, churches and anywhere quarreling over something. This is opposite to who I was when I was young. If my father ordered me to do something in his favor, I hadn't hesitated but was always quick to finish the task. It was my duty or obligation to comply with orders at home even if it was against my will.

Partly, my attitude in having parented my daughter in her earlier years has been influenced by the way I was brought up so that I usually wanted her to instantly obey me. It was not always the case however. I had always ended up the commanded soldier and my daughter the commanding officer in the battlefield.

oOo

One bright and cool morning, I dropped by a fastfood for a late breakfast. While on queue for my food, my attention was directed to somewhat a commotion at the back corner. I saw a boy, probably between 4 to 5 years old, deeply sobbing in difficulty while his father already at the peak of spewing hot lava, was grasping his son's one arm while pointing at the boy's face commanding him to close his mouth, stop crying and sobbing. The other customers nearby and some of the crew of the fastfood were just watching. My blood boiled at the scene. I felt the boy's horrible pain of trying to stop sobbing and crying but cannot because of the continuous shouts, pushes and grasps of the father. To instantly stop sobbing at an instant command made the boy to cry even more.

I took my food then sat down at the other corner of the fastfood area. I still however, could hear the angry words of the father and the boy already in terrible, frightful cries.

My hunger was gone but I still took a few sips of my hot chocolate drink. Then I counted the number of minutes since the time I entered the fastfood, queued for my food until I sat down to eat and the number of minutes the incident started because it seemed getting worse.

Upset, I stood up and got near the scene again because I couldn't bear hearing the boy wailing in pain. The tables nearby were already vacated and the other man in red shirt (companion of the father and son sitting on the same table) just kept quiet but also looked troubled. I wondered why nobody tried to interfere neither the crew! I grumbled some stupid words in my anger and was really about to go near the father to talk to him. At the end however, I did nothing to help the boy.

When I went back to my seat I saw the father already shouting and pulling his wailing son out from the eating public. What a menace and a trauma this father did to his young boy!!!

While starting to nibble on my messed breakfast, my mind started to play back the events in my father's iron hands when I was young. I blotted them out immediately since if enumerated would just botch up my day. I didn't want to be a loser against the ghosts of my childhood.

I wondered how could such a fine-looking, professional-like, educated man do such wretchedness to his son in public!? And how many times did he do this both in public and at home? He would be raising an individual with a very low self-esteem! (forgive me for thinking such).

I recalled some do's and don'ts of parenting I heard in values education programs I attended years before ---- "never downgrade the little egos of toddlers in public places by scolding, slapping, pushing, kicking and/or shouting at them or even comparing them to other kids in the neighborhood." Was the father training his son? To what?

Going back to Proverbs 22:6, "Train a child in the way he should go..." To other parents, however, I wonder what the phrase mean to them. To train has several methods to anyone executing it. The subconscious mind immediately defines train-ing in a military way --- to undergo rough drills even if it is against the will of the trainee. This situation is however opposie to the method of training in loving communication. This way is what young children of this generation need - by spending quality time, talking and guiding them according to Biblical inspirations. It will train them to grow in love and not the opposite.

No matter what status a parent holds in life, he still remains a parent who is responsible with how he raises up his child to become a good citizen. This goes with the statement of Barack Obama, U.S. Senator, in an interview about coping with work and family in one of the segments of the Oprah Winfrey Show to "teach kids the values of becoming useful citizens and not just being cute."

oOo

One stupid truths in parenting is a situation like: The parent shields his child anywhere from anything or event he thinks unfavorable. One example is when the child is judged by his playmates because of some misbehaviours, the parent immediately comes in rescue and many times the parent does not even investigate the real incident. In school, when the same child is lightly punished like standing in class for 10 minutes while lessons go on, drives the parent into a mad lion against the teacher and the school. The parent feels his child is prejudiced! But once the parent himself gets irritated with his same child at home, he has the nerve to kick and slap until his kid gets blue and worse is even accompanied with shouts of filthy language! This situation impels me to think that some parents sometimes do become hypocrites of their own selves!

Usually, all the right methods of parenting are easily said than done!

As a parent, one of my deepest prayers today is to maintain self-control especially during times when I go home loaded with outside pressures so that I become an easy prey of an unstable behaviour. I do train my child as I train myself in more profound prayers by claiming verses in the Bible that could only pacify my spirit and stop me from misbehaving in the eyes of my daughter when she currently misbehaves.

12 Steps To Raise A Juvenile Delinquent

1. Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow to believe the world owes him a living.

2. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he's cute.

3. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-one and then let "him decide for himself."

4. Avoid the use of "wrong." He may develop a guilt complex. This will condition him to believe later, when he is arrested, that society is against him and he is being persecuted.

5. Pick up everything he leaves lying around. Do everything for him so that he will be experienced throwing all responsibility on others.

6. Take his part against neighbors, teachers and policemen. They are prejudiced against your child.

7. Quarrel frequently in the presence of your children. In this way, they won't be so shocked when the home is broken up later.

8. Give the child all the spending money he wants. Never let him earn his own.

9. Satisfy his every craving for food, drink and comfort. See that his every desire is gratified.

10. Let him read any printed material and listen to any music he can get his hands on. Be careful that the silverware and drinking glasses are sterilized, but let his mind feast on garbage.

11. When he gets into real trouble, apologize to yourself by saying, "I could never do anything with him."

12. PREPARE FOR A LIFE OF GRIEF. YOU WILL LIKELY HAVE IT.


(Taken from a pamphlet entitled, "Twelve Rules for Raising Delinquent Children," distributed by the Houston Police Department)
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"Spare the rod and spoil the child"