Old drug problems...

(I read this a long time ago... I don't know who wrote it... I sure wish I had... I raise my kids the exact same way as this passage... and I am sooo glad I do...)

The other day, someone at a store read that a

methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farm

house in the adjoining county and he asked me a

rhetorical question. "Why didn't we have a drug

problem when you and I were growing up?"

I responded that we did have a drug problem when we

were kids growing up on the farm or in the city. I had

a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church

on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings

and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and

community socials no matter the weather. I was drug by

my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also

drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told

a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak

with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the

preacher. Or if I didn't put forth my best effort in

everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the

kitchen sink if I uttered a profane four letter word.

(I do know what soap tastes like.) I was drug out to

pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and

cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the

homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out

some poor soul who had no one, to mow the yard, repair

the clothesline or chop some fire wood, and if my

mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a

tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to

the wood shed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my

behavior in everything I do, say and think. They are

stronger than cocaine,crack or heroin, and if today's

children had this kind of drug problem, America might

be a better place today.