I think "time out" needs it's ass busted!

Over the past few weeks, it seems the world has lost it's damn mind!

Shootings at military bases and high rises... People hiding a 7 month old child IN A BOX under a bed for 12 hours to keep police from finding it... and just this morning I read a story about an 18 year old who beat a 64 year old NUN to death after robbing her!

I've given this a lot of thought and I think it's time to re-evaluate.

Sometime in the 70's or 80's ... Some child psychologist who was apparently coming off a reefer binge decided that punishing kids the "old fashioned" way was damaging to the growth of their individual personalities...

So they suggested... and we all apparently agreed.... that "time out" was the way to go.

OK... let's just think about this and put it into context...

If a child gets in trouble... they're told to go sit quietly alone in a corner and think about what they did! Am I the only person who thinks that sounds just a TEENSY bit like an ingredient in the "recipe of a serial killer"?

I mean... all the kid is thinking about it where they went wrong? What they could do DIFFERENTLY next time to avoid getting caught!

And even if that's not what the burgeoning psychopaths are thinking... Can we all agree that this type of psychological punishment... the "removing" of the child from all activities while the family happily continues their day... is perhaps less effective and more damaging than a quick swat?!?!

All I know is when I was a kid... I knew that if I did something "bad"... I was going to get my ass busted!

Or even worse... My Nanny used to make us go pick a switch off the tree!!!! Of COURSE I always picked a small, brittle one... but before it was used to exact my punishment... Nanny would put it through a battery of tests... and if it didn't pass... she went and got the grand daddy of ALL switches!

Yes, I lived in constant fear... but you know what? I actually LEARNED that my actions had an expected (and painful) REaction!

I'm not sure how well it worked... but I've not gone on a massive shooting rampage... or killed any nuns! (knock on wood)

Aside from that... I think it's AMAZING how we all seem shocked when certain kids do terrible things!

While bible based lawmakers fight to "preserve the family" in the eyes of the law... they're doing NOTHING To preserve it in real life!

And while "Child Protective Services" is raking in state and federal funding... they're failing the children in their care on some of the most BASIC services!

I have a friend whose child is "in the system"

This child has been in one of the shelter's for "troubled kids"... where the child was attacked by another kid staying there... and was even taunted to "walk on out the front door" by the alleged caretakers!

When the child was taken to the hospital after the attack... the parents were notified "you need to go to the hospital to get your kid"

After that, the child was placed in a mental health facility for kids... and was once again was hit by a couple other kids!

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

This kids was placed in the system because the child got in trouble repeatedly for being disrespectful... But you know what? The kid was never INJURED while in the parent's care!?!?!?

The whole system is so incredibly flawed that I'm not sure HOW it can be fixed!?!?!

But rather than actually take a look at this state run system... our lawmakers... the ones charged with representing ALL of us... are fighting to tax cigarettes more... arguing against the lottery... and preventing "unmarried couples" from adopting or serving as foster parents!

Granted... I personally don't want children... But if I did, I certainly wouldn't think it should be up to a group of haggardly fat old lawmakers with wives who wear WAY too much makeup and children they never see to tell ME that I'M not fit!

And on that note, when Arkansas passed the law preventing unmarried people from serving as foster parents... did it also include legislation REQUIRING married people to step in and foster kids? No... it did not...

So in ONE great swipe, the "Billy and Betty Baptists" and the "Ed and Evangeline Evangelicals" LEGISLATED their OWN moral religious beliefs... while thousands of kids were prevented from having a safe foster home, rather than a crowded poorly run state facility!

I ask you... in THAT situation... What WOULD Jesus do?