What is Wrong With This Generation

What is Wrong With This Generation (or what’s up with kids these days)?

JBH Wonders, 01/2016

I would venture to guess that this question has been posited by at least a few parents since the time of Moses. But this article focuses on the offspring of the so-called "baby boomers" .

So many times we hear the words “what is wrong with this generation” and then what follows is a hit list of items for concern. And there is the worn out excuse that our children are born to us lacking a set of  “how to” book of instructions. This article suggests that we have been given instructions and there was a time when they were followed by most parents.

No one individual suffers from all of these issues of course but here are a few modern day parental complaints about their children:

They won’t listen. They disrespect authority and get into trouble.

They watch too much TV or play too many video games.

They do not do well in school and do not seem to be learning anything of use.

They are not sociable and don’t get along well with others.

They lack ambition and have little interest in doing something worthwhile.
They lack confidence about trying new things.

They are always getting into trouble at home and in school.

They are lazy, don’t want to work and keep asking for money.

They have a mean disposition and often get into fights.

They hang around with the wrong crowd.

They don’t eat right and are over/under weight.

They are into drugs and alcohol.             

They think about sex too much and/or are “gender confused”.

They are not sociable, blame others for their problems, and have some self-pity.

They are selfish and are always asking for some “thing”.

So my fellow baby boomers who are complaining about the above, I would ask how close were we in following with our children the basic instructions before leaving earth? (The B i b l e)

Did we try to be our children’s pal instead of a teacher and disciplinarian?

“Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding”

Proverbs 4:1

“Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth”.

Proverbs 7:24

Did we use TV or video games as a baby sitter?

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it..”

Proverbs 22:6

How much did we read to our children and were we involved in their formal education and training for basic skills? 

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children”

Hosea 4:6

“The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.” 
Proverbs 23:24

How much did we play with our children?

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Mathew 19:14

How much did we encourage our children and praise them when they accomplished something? 

“Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.”

Proverbs 20:11

“Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged”

Colossians 3:21

How harsh were we on our children when they did a minor “offense”?

“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” 
Mathew 12:33

Did we let our children off easy for a major “offense”?

“He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes”.

Proverbs 13:24

“Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul”.

Proverbs 29:17

Did we give our children simple chores to do when they were young and gradually increase the effort and responsibility required in order to teach them a good work ethic?

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

II Thessalonians 3:10

Was physical punishment to our children ever administered in anger or excessively?

“Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”

Colossians 3:21

“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him”.

Proverbs 20:7

Did we ever take our children to church or teach them about God?

“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Ephesians 6:4

“Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation”.

Joel 1:3

“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”

Isaiah 54:13

What did we feed out children when they were growing?

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

III John 1:2

“Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you.”.

Acts 27:34

Did we allow our child to be drugged because of some behavior problems?

“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”

Proverbs 29:15

“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him”.

Proverbs 22:15

Did we treat our sons like boys and our daughters like girls? Did they have proper male and female role models (preferably a mom and a dad).

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female…”

Genesis 1:27

“That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in

 sanctification and honour;”

I Thessalonians 4:4

Were our children raised in a home atmosphere of positive thinking and taught to solve problems instead of whining and complaining?

“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

Proverbs 31:27-28

“All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.”

Proverbs 15:15

Did we teach our children to share, be charitable, and say please and thank you?

“And having food and raiment let us be therewith content”.

I Timothy 6:8

“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Colossians 3:2

“Let all your things be done with charity.”

 Corinthians 16:14

Was prayer forbidden in our children’s school. (Implying that it is a wrong thing to do).

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

Romans 10:14

And then there are the ten commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) that pretty much says it all and were literally carved in stone. Good instructions and good rules for everyone to get along with each other and end up in the right place.  

I am neither a family counselor, a child psychologist, nor a Bible scholar. Perhaps I also took some “poetic license” or “religious liberty” in writing this article. However, the mistakes that I made learning to be a proper dad still gives me some credentials to at least spout “my two cents worth for what its worth”. I have also witnessed other situations from family and friends that gives me notice of what is wrong with this generation. I think that we baby boomers may have fell asleep at the wheel in some cases. There is enough blame that can be shared by all, but I pray that we instead work on solutions.

Thankfully my children, for the most part, have become responsible and productive adults. This was not all of my doing of course. Anyone nominating me for “the father of the year award” is not likely. My children had to go through some difficult situations while growing up but they learned to deal with things instead of blaming others for their woes. But that was not the subject of this article.

I have only attempted to point out that the Bible remains a bedrock of fundamental ideas, concepts and guidance on how people should behave. This goes for parents and children. Even for those who do not believe in God cannot honestly deny the value of these basic instructions before…(fill in the blank).

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

II Timothy 3:16

Always Count Your Blessings

Always Count Your Blessings

JBH Wonders, 2011

There used to be an “all American dream”. During a happy and nourished childhood living in the suburbs, one would go to a good school, on to become maybe a football hero or head cheerleader in high school, go to college and/or do military service, marry your high school sweetheart, buy a nice house, raise some children, and pursue a successful career.

And there would be the large family get-togethers on Thanksgiving and Christmas for a day of dinners, laughter and reminiscing. There would also be family barbecues, family reunions, school events, etc.

Then your children are grown up and you send them to college and then marry them off. So now you enjoy the grandchildren when they come along, you retire, maybe travel and perhaps get involved with social work and government issues. Then you grow old with your spouse, collect a retirement and social security, then you die.

I once was the so-called productive citizen. I had a career job of over thirty years but made the mistake of staying with work that I enjoyed instead of work that would somewhat guarantee me financial security upon retiring. For the most part, I enjoyed my career but towards the end of it, I felt something was lacking. As a result of my ponderance upon these feelings, my performance became less and less of the top-notch work that was once my expected level of expertise.

Perhaps my employer and co-workers eventually sensed this. As a result, I became the old fogy and was no longer given the respect that I once had. It seemed that I was no longer the “boy wonder” and “answer man”. I was also ridiculed to some extent by certain individuals that I once considered to be my friends.

So after over thirty years of service, I was “laid off” with no formal warning. I was brought into the office one Thursday afternoon and was told nicely that there was no longer any work for me and that I was being laid off. So much for “fun careers”. (In all fairness, the company’s business had been suffering for years and many other co-workers had already been laid off).

If I had picked the right sweatshop to work in for thirty years, I might have ended up with some retirement benefits or a severance payment. That was not the case for me. However, I have no regrets. My career was fun, challenging, and exciting for many years though one could not call it a financial success.

But, I digress. I am not writing this paper to express any woes on a loss of a career. I am trying to express and explain the blessing that I have been given. I am usually cash poor these days but…..

I have been blessed perhaps because I am not living the so-called American dream. I live outside the “American dream” box and can now look into what others are living but do not see. Yes I have done some of the things listed above but I will never do it all. My blessing is to actually see the futility and nonsense (some would call it bullshit) that goes on around me. Yes, there would be some security and comfort for me to be still inside of the box, but I prefer the view from out here.Motivational speaker, author, and counselor 

Steve Pavlina suggests we should all strive to escape the rat race at any cost.

There are those who complain about what they do not have. There are those who complain about what they do have.

“…you don’t know what you got ‘til its gone…” (Joni Mitchell; “Yellow Taxi”)

These are some things which I feel are blessings:

· I now have time to write articles like this one about my concerns in life. I have a large stack of topics that I want to write about to share my knowledge, life experiences and feelings about various issues.

· I am out of financial debt for the first time since I was discharged from the Navy in 1976.

· No man is my master

· Due to certain steps that I have taken and some acts of God, I currently at least enjoy a certain amount of isolation and anonymity from any government agency.

· I am starting out again with pretty much a “clean slate”. I can go wherever or do whatever I want as God leads me.

· I do not have to report for work for anyone on a regular basis. I do work for pay when I can as I still need to eat.

· I spent over thirty years in a “climate controlled” environment for forty or more hours per week. Now I can go outside and play.

· Much of my days now are spent out of doors. I am no longer a captive in a climate-controlled cubicle.

· I grew up in the Midwest of these united states of America so I know the hardship of a cold and snowy winter. I spent the winter of 2010 and 2011 in southern Texas. I mowed grass there in December and the middle of February. (One does not mow grass in the mid-west during the winter months).

· I have painted the exterior of a house in January. One does not do any exterior painting in the mid-west during the winter months.

· I have sat in a back yard wearing a t-shirt and drinking a cold beer in late February. You would be crazy to do this in the mid-west.

· I have more time to just think and meditate about things without having any stress. This was a major paradigm shift for me. Truly, I no longer worry about or over anything. Yes, I am still sensible so I make some tentative plans to do this or that when the time seems right. And given all of the endless world problems that plague us all, I do not fret over anything. It is a nice feeling-or non-feeling if you prefer.

“Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.” Amos 5:13

“Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.: Amos 5:14

· Though I don’t always have any steady “positive cash flow”, by God’s good grace, thus far I have every material thing that I need and cash seems to come along from some source when I need it. And the work that comes my way is a variety of work. Sometimes it is easy for me. Other times the work can be physically challenging. And then there are times when a challenge is presented to me and I gain knowledge and skills from the endeavor. (This ole dog is learning new tricks)

I thank our Father in heaven every day that I am well fed, have shelter, and some task to accomplish for the day ahead. On the days that I don’t have these things, I still give thanks that they were there yesterday and pray for better days ahead.

 Some drawbacks of all this is the change in relationships between family and friends. I often have difficulty in communicating with them about certain things. This could be because I’ve had a “paradigm shift” and now have a different frame of reference.

I no longer have any interest in some of the petty things people talk about such as TV programs, scandals, celebrity news, sports, the price of gasoline, “politics”, etc. This is another blessing I think. A few less things to get all heated up about.

Americans, those living in the so-called “United States”, lead a farce of a life. They live in a dream world and most do not know how easy they have it. We take so many things for granted; like running water inside the house, easy to acquire food, showers, toilets, many sources of entertainment, transportation systems, and the list could go on and on.

Some people in other parts of the world work very hard just to feed themselves. Many people in other parts of the world have to constantly re-build their lives after their community was attacked by some armed group-governmental or otherwise.

I will close this article with an experience I had not long ago.

Today while stopping for a rest on the bicycle trail, I had a short conversation with God. OK, I thought I was playing both parts but perhaps the “conversation” was inspired.

God: “What is troubling you my child?”

Me: “Something is missing in my life”.

God: “Tell me your blessings and we can go from there”.

Me: “Well, I am well fed and healthy. I have no financial debt. Most of the time I have something to do-usually helping someone else. I am out of doors most of the time instead of the many days and years I spent cooped up working inside of a building.

Many times I get some sort of compensation for the work that I now do. It is either in cash, food, lodging, etc. As a result of some of this work, I have an adequate “nest egg”. I also have a portable motor home that runs very well. Both the gasoline and LPG tanks are filled up. The cupboards of my RV are packed with food and other necessities. I can re-locate to anywhere that I want.

My daughters and grandchildren seem to be happy and healthy. But something is still missing”.

God: “If you do not know what is missing, then you are still in training and have much to learn my son”.

So still feel blessed but I am searching for something.

“My Name is Notmee and I am Innocent of all False Allegations”

“My Name is Notmee and I am Innocent of all False Allegations”

(Why is everybody always picking on me?)

11/2014, JBH Wonders

I must speak out at this time, as I can bare it no longer. For generations now children and some adults have been blaming me for the theft, breakage, and loss of everything imaginable. I have been blamed for hitting little sisters, taking the last cookie from the jar, leaving a toy in the driveway, locking little brothers in the bathroom, and even stealing automobiles.

The blame and finger pointing has been directed towards me because of a broken dish or someone let the cat out of the house. Not to mention mowing through flowerbeds, soaping the neighbor’s window and sisters stealing each other’s diaries.

Even with obvious evidence of some child’s guilt and of my innocence, I have been blamed for getting into mom’s makeup case, dads shaving cream, sisters nail polish, and spilling milk on the floor.

And lets not forget other household offences. I have never dumped a can of flour on a cat, put salt in a sugar bowl, cut off the straws on a broom, spilled nail polish remover on an oak dinette table, drew pictures on the wall with crayons, thrown my sister’s clothes out the window, thrown my brother’s clothes out the window, put a frog in a breadbox, grind all of the pencils down with the electric pencil sharpener, nor tear pages out of the phone book to make paper airplanes. It wasn’t I who did these things. (Is there someone by the name of Wasnteye that I have just passed the blame to?)

Never there to defend myself and more times than not, some of the real offenders have never been revealed. Parents throughout the generations believe that I am a very mischievous individual with no respect for anyone and just an all around troublemaker.

Though not perfect, I am a peaceful individual and do not seek to cause parents any grief nor want go through everyone’s house to reek havoc and get children into trouble.

May I propose a truce? From here on, I will forgive and forget the past tarnishing of my name and hope from here on children (and some adults) will “fess up” to the errors of their ways, take the consequences and leave me out of it.

The Occurrence of 60 to 60 (Confessions of a Baby Boomer)

By: JBH Wonders, 11/2011

I grew up in the ‘60’s in these united states of America and now I am 60 years old, a true member of the infamous “baby boomer” group. Our generation has been tracked by some of the business world ever since someone realized, “Hey, we have a whole bunch of customers here”. “What can we sell them this year”? Many have prospered by providing goods and services to the vast market of baby boomers.

Many others have published articles of “then verses now”. So this is hardly an original topic for me to write about. It is just my two cents for what it is worth.

In my youth, I did not care much for eating vegetables, especially spinach and squash. Now I thrive on many different “veggies”.

Before we reached the age where the coveted “driver’s license” was sought after, bicycles were the transportation of choice. Now I ride them for fun and exercise. They are still used for limited transportation in some cases for us young “senior citizens”.

In my younger days I loved to drink milk and drank lots of it. Now I cannot (or should not) drink it at all. I also dumped salt on everything. Now I don’t, and I do not miss the salty flavor.

There was always a television in the living room of the house as early as I can recall. Children were not permitted to touch it. If we wanted to watch a TV program, permission from one of our parents was required. And then, one of them would turn it on and select one of the three channels available. It actually took an adult to change channels because the selector was difficult to turn (no remote control “flippers” in those days). And in later years, anyone whose family had a color TV (with a round screen yet) was some rich fancy kid. Now everyone has them of course.

I remember when candy bars cost five cents each. This grew to fifty cents by the time I was in High School. Now it makes no “cents” for me to eat them. I like still having most of my own teeth.

During the Cold War, I remember air raid drills in grade school. We were taught to hide under our desks. I developed a fear of all aircraft because of these drills. Whenever I was outdoors and heard or saw an airplane, I would hide under something. This fear eventually left me and now I actually enjoy flying. I avoid it however because of the “security” nonsense that goes on at commercial airports. (That is a highly published subject so I will refrain from writing about it for now).

Back in the sixties, as we young guys entered into puberty, to just see a girl’s knees was exciting. (“T&A” had not been invented yet). Nowadays young boys and girls are bombarded with sex issues by the age of ten. This is also a highly published subject and I have nothing additional to offer at the time of this writing.

In my youth, going to church was a hardship and not cool for some of us. As an adult, I do not go to church regularly but I do have faith in a Creator. I have yet to find a church where I fit in however.

My first computation devices were my fingers & toes. This advanced to a writing pad and pencil in grades one through twelve. In college I used a $10 slide rule in addition to a pad and pencil. It would be another five years before electronic calculators are affordable to the average individual. It would be another ten years before you could purchase a calculator for $5.

I started school when I was five years old and graduated high school at the age of seventeen. I did not attend any grade “K” kindergarten or “pre-school”. I don’t know if they existed then. If they did, it was not a federal mandate at the time for a child to go to one. My parents taught me to recognize different colors, spell my name, count to ten, and recite most of the alphabet before the public school indoctrination began. I was fortunate however that my first four years of grade school was at a Catholic parochial school. The teachers were nuns and made us study and learn the right things. Nonsense was not tolerated. So I had a head start before resuming the fourth grade at a public school.

Automobiles used to be tough and powerful with their “V8” engines and four barrel Holley carburetors. Gasoline was 100% gasoline and costs 30 cents per gallon. Now we use a “gasoline” mixture with alcohol and it costs 330 cents per gallon. That is why most of the automobiles now days are small, wimpy, and have small engines. The pros and cons of “gasahol” is also a widely published topic so I have nothing more to offer on it at this time.

Before any road trips were made, the route would be planned using a folding road map. I think they offered a special class to teach one how to fold these maps back up correctly. Now using a computer and Internet access, I can use “Mapquest” (there are others of course) and get step-by-step instructions on how to get from my easy chair to the Caribbean Islands and other places that I have never heard of. And if I am unsure of my geography, I can get a map printed out also.

Our entertainment media utilized something round that went round and round. Our music was on phonograph records and our movies (which could only be seen in a theater) where played by transferring a long, thin tape from one turning round object (reel) to another. This advanced over the years to audio cassettes, “eight tracks”, and VHS tapes. These media still used a long thin tape winding from one wheel to another. Today’s music is still on round turning objects (Compact Discs/CDs) and our home movies are presented on Digital Video Discs (DVD). So we seem to have come full circle (pun intended).

At some point in my youth my parents and other adults seemed to become ignorant of my needs and the world events. I have now experienced my children thinking the same of me.

And now…..

The man I see in the mirror is not the young face that took his first shave and fretted over acne so many years ago.

The man I see in the mirror no longer needs a course-toothed comb to groom his hair. It takes a brush and some “styling” to make me feel like I still have plenty of hair.

The man I see in the mirror reminds me of my paternal Grandpa and my Dad. I see thinning gray hair, wrinkles around the mouth, and big ears. (I’ve read that one’s nose and ears never cease growing).

Time stands still for no one.

“And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean”.

Leviticus 13:40

“The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head.”

Proverbs 20:29

“Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity”.

Ecclesiastes 11:10

There are Children and There are Kids

By: JBH Wonders, 11/2009

When I was a young child, one set of my grandparents referred to my siblings and me as children. The other grandparents called us kids. Why? I did not take note of this until my later years of adulthood. When you are a child, some things are not important to you.

Before I continued with this article it seemed best to do some research on the use of the word “kids” when speaking of children. I did not want to write about something that was already widely published. Though I did not find any articles that covered this subject in depth, there is much Internet “buzz” on the matter.

First, there are a countless number of children’s books that have “Kid” in the title or are advertised under the heading “Books for Kids”. This includes religious material, toys, sports equipment, etc. At one time there was even a brand of “sneakers” (“tennis shoes” if you are not a baby boomer) that used the word. So at this date, “kid” is widely used instead of “child”. Heck, everyone calls their offspring a kid don’t they?  Most parents and children today perhaps do not consider this wrong or derogatory  (and I did not use to think it was either)

At some point in my journey through life, calling a child a kid started sounding disrespectful and crass to me. It does however seem that when a woman says “kid” or “kids” (as in “my kids”), the word comes out in a kinder tone than when a man says it (this is assuming that neither one is mad at the child). But after researching this further, I still object to referring to children as “kids”.

“Kid” is mentioned in the KJV Bible about 75 times. This is always in reference to a goat. “Children” or “Child” is used in the KJV Bible when referring to the young offspring of living souls (commonly called people).

This definition is from a 1987 (abridged) Webster’s Dictionary: “kid n. young goat; (sl.) child.- v.t. (sl.) to hoax.” The primary definition is that of an animal. It defines calling a child a kid as slang (sl.).

This definition is from a 2002 (abridged) Webster’s Dictionary: “kid n. a young goat; leather made from its skin, a small wooded tub, to bring forth a kid ”. There is no reference to a child.

From www.webster-dictionary.org, Webster’s 1913 definition of “kid” is similar to the 1987 edition except the second meaning was expounded to state: “A young child or infant; hence, a simple person, easily imposed upon”. A “simple person easily imposed upon”? This seems to be a negative description of someone. Keep that definition in mind as we dive into this farther.

“Kid” is not defined in the 7^th edition of Black’s Law Dictionary. There is a “kiddy tax” listed however in reference to “… a child’s unearned income …”. “Kiddy tax” may just be term coined by the public to label another tax. I looked briefly into the section of the IRS code that describes this tax. There is no heading labeled “kiddie tax” and though “child” is mentioned throughout the code, “kid” is not. So “kid” may not be common usage in law.

There is evidence that “kid” and “kiddo” was used as early as 1812 and prior as a descriptor for young thieves and pugilist (sporting boxers/fighters). Examples: Billy the Kid, Benny the Kid. Ted Kid Lewis, etc. Etymology Online (www.etymonline.com) states that along with thieves and pugilists, children involved in vaudeville acts were also labeled as “kid” this or that. There are other indications that “kid” was accepted as a common use for “labeling” something other than baby goats.

And one other tidbit to put here before I continue with my own thoughts, the word “kinder” means children in the German language. This is the origin of “kindergarten”. “Garten” in German means, “garden”. So “kindergarten” is a garden of children. I have a whole bunch of things to say about that subject but will save it for a different article. So anyway, since these united states is a multicultural bunch of people, it could possibly be that “kinder” evolved (or devolved) into “kid” in reference to children. The word “kinder” means something totally different in the American English language of today.

So, “kid” in English has meant a baby goat for a couple thousand years or so. The KJV translation of the Bible confirms this. The primary definition for the word is also a baby goat in modern dictionaries. At least one edition of one dictionary does not define a kid as the child of a living soul (commonly called people). The use of “kid” in reference to children may have originated from Germany by a convolution of the word “kinder”.

With all of that said, it appears that “kid” was originally used in the American English in reference to a young rascal of notability/notoriety (example: a famous thief), or other young people who wanted to stand out in their field of occupation or stardom (boxer, vaudeville actor etc).

So here is a speculation. Perhaps somewhere, sometime, there was a play, a book, or a movie where “kid” was used to endear us to some child or childlike character. This endearment caught on and parents of “common” children began referencing their offspring as “kids”.

Conclusion

So after all of this, I still do not like labeling and calling children “kids”. I have been working on changing my habit of this for some time now and almost have it corrected lest I be labeled as a hypocrite. There was one individual’s statement that I found which is pretty much in tune with my feelings:  “…refer to a child as a ‘kid’ and one should not be surprised if they behave like small animals. It is disrespectful, assuming that their parents are not goats or antelopes; should adults expect respect if they are unwilling to give it to their young people?” I would give them credit for this statement here if I knew who they were. May God bless them wherever they are.

And in all fairness, I must point out that other countries and cultures have different words of endearment for their children. These labels are usually confined for usage between the child and parent or other close family members. They are not meant for common usage. Here are but a few: “curtain climber”, “nipper”, “nestling”, “little shaver”, “rug rat”, “small fry”, “tike” (or tyke), and “youngster”. Their are more of course depending on ones culture, language, geographic location, etc.

And that is all I wanted to say and that is my two cents for what it is worth.

JBH Wandering

Does JBH Wonders Wander too Much???

By: JBH Wonders, 11/2011

“I’ve been everywhere man, I’ve been everywhere…” (Johnny Cash).

Well I have not been everywhere but I’ve been to many different places over the years. This thought came to me recently and the need arose for me to write about it.

First, this will not be a flowery treatise concerning my travels and the things that I have seen. I just wanted to document briefly the places where my life travels have led me and anything else notable or interesting perhaps.

My first travel adventure was leaving home for college. College was eighty miles from home. I was seventeen at the time. My family made a big deal out of it and my Mother cried when we said goodbye.

The second travel adventure (after completing college) was leaving home to serve in the Navy. My family made a big deal out of it and my Mother cried when we said goodbye. We were listening to John Denver sing “Leaving on a Jet Plane” during the drive to the airport. I think that was a mistake.

During my four year stint in the Navy, I traveled to Chicago Illinois, Memphis Tennessee, San Diego California, Hawaii, Singapore, The Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, and Viet Nam.

When I was discharged from the Navy, I traveled from California to Ohio with my brother and his wife in a Chevy Nova pulling a U-Haul trailer. No one cried when I left the West coast. I felt sad to leave but some folks perhaps rejoiced at my leaving.

I flew back to the West coast some years later to California for a vacation. I took a train up the coast to visit an old Navy pal in Sacramento.  On the way back East, I stopped to visit my parents in Arizona as they had moved there after Dad lost his job in Ohio. Mother cried when we said goodbye.

My brother moved his family to Connecticut after finishing his stint in the Navy. Well actually, he had already moved to Connecticut and was working. My brother left me to load up a large moving van with all of his household possessions including his wife and three children and bring it all to him. So I drove this moving van up the East coast and stayed in Connecticut for a while before taking an airplane back home.

I’ve made several business trips to New York, Nevada, Michigan, Chicago, South Carolina, and Kentucky during my working career. I don’t know if these count or not since it was “work” and very short-term trips. Mom was not aware of most of these trips so she did not cry. My wife at the time maybe cried the first time that I left, but after  returning safely a few times, it was just another days work and no big deal.

So after being “laid off” from my career occupation (read, the ‘ole fogy was terminated), out of necessity I purchased a motor home in which currently serves as my humble abode. Since then, I now live in my native state of Ohio from Spring to Autumn but travel to Southern Texas and stay there during the cold Winter months of the mid-west. My Mother cried the first time that I left her home after living in my RV parked in her driveway for a Summer.

Being a salt-of-the-earth country boy, I never planned to travel so much and never felt the want to. But life occurrences have made me a traveler to some degree and it has been educational and enjoyable for the most part.

Traveling is now an occasional necessity for me at this point in my life but I need roots and feel that someday I will have them before getting too old and feeble.

“I’ve been Wandering Early and Late,

From New York City to the Golden Gate,

 And it Don’t look like I’ll ever stop my Wandering,

”I’ve Been in the Army, I’ve Worked on a Farm,

And all I’ve got to show is the Muscle in my arm,

And it Don’t look like I’ll ever stop my Wandering,

(James Taylor)

My Dad taught me....

By: JBH Wonders

· Right from wrong and the consequences for doing wrong.

· The difference between honesty and dishonesty and the consequences of being dishonest.

· The "common law" (Ten Commandments) though he may not have known them to recite. Dad especially despised liars and thieves.

· To listen to Mom and do what she told me and the consequences of not doing so.

· How to chop wood with an ax and repair or replace the handle after too many misses.

· How to split wood with a wedge and how to dig the wedge out of the wood when it wouldn't split.

· How to use and handle fire-arms and the responsibility of having one.

· How to hunt squirrels, rabbit, deer, groundhogs, and different birds.

· How to stop and sit down in the woods just to look and listen sometimes.

· How to handle farm machinery without getting hurt or breaking something.

· How to fix machinery after it got broke anyway.

· How to operate a motor vehicle.

· How to avoid traffic by going “the back way”.

· How to “wheel a wrench” on wheel lugs when changing a tire.

· How to change oil in a vehicle (remember to put the plug back and only hand-tighten the filter)

· How to fell a tree safely and cut it up for firewood.

· How to mow the yard in alternate patterns to avoid wheel ruts and make the grass grow better.

· How to ride a bicycle and tie up the pant leg of my jeans first to keep it from getting jammed in the chain. (My first bicycle did not have a chain guard).

· How to swim (he was gentle though, he sent my brother & I to the YMCA)

Dad was wiser than I previously gave him credit for. What he lacked in so-called “formal education”, he more than made up for with a knack for just getting along. He was a hard worker and taught my siblings and me this same value.

He made me physically strong as I was growing up by pushing me to do things I did not want to do. Like playing football in high school. Some athletic disciplines are still with me this day.

Sometimes Dad laughed or teased me about my failures but this always inspired me to push myself and keep trying to get things right somehow just to make him stop laughing and be proud of me. This may have been his strategy-I don't know. All I know is that I am strong morally and physically because of my Dad and Mom’s teachings while I was growing up.