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This may sound like a strange question but after something that happened today, I feel the need to ask.
How do the adults view children in the South in general?
To be more specific, something disturbed me that my husband's potential boss (if he transfers to Greenville) said to him.
He was referring to life in Greenville, the company my husband would be working for, etc.
He stressed how well behaved the children of the families that worked for the company were. He commented several times about their respect for people in authority, their politieness, their willingness to help clean up at family/company functions, etc.
This is all wonderful in my opinion, but there was something about what he was saying that seemed to be referring to more than just "well behaved children".
Keep in mind.......he did not meet our children yet (we have 3)
Something about the way he spoke reminded me of an aunt of mine. Growing up, I remember her having the "children should be seen and not heard" mentality. "Mind your business"......."speak when spoken to", etc.
I believe in raising my children to be respectful, polite, moral, (which they are) ........but I also encourage my children to tell me anything. I have the belief that just because they are children doesn't mean their views aren't important or valid, etc.
After this interview/meeting with the potential boss, it has raised a few concerns for my husband and I........along with something I saw in a private school website in Greenville (I won't mention their name) that they believe in "traditional forms of discipline".
What does this mean? Are children still given the "strap" in some schools in the South? I would really appreciate some honest comments on this matter.
My son has some attention difficulties that he is being treated for and would not do well in an environment that has no/little tolerence for any sort of behaviour that may be perceived as "disobidient" to authority.
I'd say some children see the line between adults and children instead of treating them like one of their friends. Like not calling an adult "dude" or "man" to their face.
Just so long as you kid says "please, thank you, yes/no sir/ma'am." He'll be okay.
i value southern traditions. i live on the coast and have seen the damage done. spock lied, time out does not work. more violent, more unruly than 30 years ago. the south produces most of our soldiers. discipline, family, loyalty, fidelity, perseverance & courage, these are southern traditions, these are military traditions. we learn them or don't learn them young. we cannot bear to see our children denied what we did not have, of course that was what made us strong.
I'm confused. LOL. I attended elementary, middle, and high school here and never had any problems. Just like any other public school in the country. Didn't have to wear uniforms or anything. You could talk to your classmates and teachers. It's also illegal to whip a student with a belt in school if I recall correctly.
I got regular a$$ whooopings . In elementary school our principle had " ol' roy" it was a thick paddle with holes in it for less wind resistance. in high school it was done by the football coach with a belt . he was asick bastard. but we probably deserved it . This was 70s 80s .
I teach here, moved down from Michigan in June, and yes, most of the children say yes m'am, no m'am, but they aren't any different from children in the north.
I didn't have a job when I first got to Greenville. After the first two interviews in this town, I thought I had moved to the twilight zone. I've noticed a lot of people kind of dance around some subjects in a sort of "code" language, for lack of a better description. My first two interviews really started out as a speech by the interviewer (both small-business owners) and frankly at the end of the first one, I just wanted out of the room. I gave a horrible interview and I didn't care. Oddly the guy called me over a month later to offer a job, though. But he talked about Sundays a lot, marriage, values, people moving here from out of state, traffic, Mexicans - basically a whole lot of things that had nothing to do with the job itself or my ability to perform it. When I mentioned my fiance, he jumped in and started asking me about marriage and why I hadn't married yet, then made an inappropriate comment about gays people.
Anyway, as a white, clean-cut, liberal agnostic man, I find myself in some awkward conversations sometimes here in Greenville. Conversations that involve words I don't usually use in polite conversation myself. A seventeen year-old kid at the bi-lo told me a n igger-joke the other day - that was lovely. I have a neighbor that is concerned about a "mexican" family down the street. I haven't met them, but from the flag on one of their cars they are Puerto Rican. And every once in a while people start slipping in family values-type words in there. I just feel like sometimes I am being sized up as to whether I am on the "right team" or not. Maybe that is what your husband's potential employer was doing - saying stuff like that to get a reaction to determine what kind of "values" he'd bring as an employee.
Southern kids are somewhat respectful but don't bank on totally.Julie
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