Hubert and Ann Foster will be celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary this week. Also, Hubert's 100th birthday.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Hubert and Ann Foster
Hubert and Ann Foster will be celebrating their 77th wedding anniversary this week. Also, Hubert's 100th birthday.
Scatter Shooting...
Scatter shooting while thinking about parenting.
Families are a lot different today, a lot of married couples wait until later in life to have children and then they only have a few kids. In the old days, couples married at a younger age and had more children. Fathers often worked two jobs to support their families. There wasn’t a lot of time to consider “innovative” parenting techniques… a belt/switch was quicker and required less thought.
When my uncle Alton was 12 or 13 he came home from school with a homemade tattoo. My grandfather sat him down and removed it with a pocket knife. I’m sure he didn’t anticipate that when he was getting the thing.
When Walker was a kid I worked two out of three Saturdays. So the Saturday I was off I always had some plan to get something done around the house. Often times I was foiled by Walker having some friend over to spend the night. I made a rule that if a friend was coming over he had to work too. The friends always seemed to enjoy it.
When kids knock on the door selling something I always try to buy it, no matter how worthless it is, because it takes a lot of courage for a kid to knock on a stranger’s door and make a sales pitch. They say that positive reinforcement is a much stronger teaching tool than negative reinforcement.
Parents are supposed to teach children to be good workers. It seems to me that nowadays we’re teaching them to be good beggars. As a business owner we’re always being hit up for “sponsorships” for little league teams or camps or whatever. Frequently it’s not even the kid making the request… it’s the parents. My office manager said the other day, “what’s up with giving money to cheer leaders… don’t they know how to wash cars anymore?”
When my uncle CB was 8 or 9, my grandmother took him to see the Navy dentist for a bad tooth. They waited in line for a long time and when they finally got in to see the dentist CB threw a big fit and grandma told the dentist never mind and took him home. When she got him home she sat on him and pulled out his tooth with a pair of pliers. Never underestimate the power of a Navy wife.
Some kids knocked on my door one day selling candy bars for some school function. I didn’t really need any more candy bars so I told them I would pay them $20 if they weeded my flower bed. Their mom gave them permission and we both received something of value. Selling candy bars is the first cousin of begging.
Every semester I would ask Walker if he wanted to go to school. He would answer in the affirmative and I would pay for it. He never made very many passing grades. So one semester I asked him if he wanted to go to school. He said yes and I told him about the new plan; he would pay for school and I would reimburse him for every passing grade. I don’t think I was out very much money that semester. After he got married he graduated Magna Cum Laude. His wife swung a bigger hammer than I did.
My business partner had three brothers and was one of 9 kids. When his dad would send them to the barber shop in Kingsville, Texas they were always very careful to tell the barber how they wanted their hair cut but they always received the exact same haircut. They found out later that their dad would call the barber ahead of time and say “I don’t care what those boys say, this is how I want you to cut their hair…”
When I was in the fourth grade I had a friend who lived across the street who always picked on me. After several complaints to my mother she finally told me, “I want you to fight that kid and if you don’t I’m going to give you a whipping”. I still remember the fight. Somehow we continued to be friends. Years later I asked the 6.0 version of my mother and she said, “well… that kid was a bully”.
Our dad had rules for me and my two brothers about how to hit each other. We couldn’t hit each other in the face, belly or back. Dad said we could hit each other in the shoulder area. Dad didn’t encourage us to hit each other he just knew the realities of raising three boys and tried to manage it.
Mom and Dad didn’t care too much about grades when we were growing up. As long as we passed we were OK. My report cards were heavy on “C’s” and light on “A’s”. Somehow we did OK; I’m a Veterinarian, Scott is a Dentist and Greg is a Mechanical Engineer. Still, I always pushed my kids to make good grades. I guess the acorn fell off the tree and rolled into a river on that one.
My kids still laugh about Saturday mornings at out house. Sometimes I would line them up and with buckets in one hand and shovels in the other we would scour one acre for grass bur plants. I’m glad I could create such pleasant memories.
Families are a lot different today, a lot of married couples wait until later in life to have children and then they only have a few kids. In the old days, couples married at a younger age and had more children. Fathers often worked two jobs to support their families. There wasn’t a lot of time to consider “innovative” parenting techniques… a belt/switch was quicker and required less thought.
When my uncle Alton was 12 or 13 he came home from school with a homemade tattoo. My grandfather sat him down and removed it with a pocket knife. I’m sure he didn’t anticipate that when he was getting the thing.
When Walker was a kid I worked two out of three Saturdays. So the Saturday I was off I always had some plan to get something done around the house. Often times I was foiled by Walker having some friend over to spend the night. I made a rule that if a friend was coming over he had to work too. The friends always seemed to enjoy it.
When kids knock on the door selling something I always try to buy it, no matter how worthless it is, because it takes a lot of courage for a kid to knock on a stranger’s door and make a sales pitch. They say that positive reinforcement is a much stronger teaching tool than negative reinforcement.
Parents are supposed to teach children to be good workers. It seems to me that nowadays we’re teaching them to be good beggars. As a business owner we’re always being hit up for “sponsorships” for little league teams or camps or whatever. Frequently it’s not even the kid making the request… it’s the parents. My office manager said the other day, “what’s up with giving money to cheer leaders… don’t they know how to wash cars anymore?”
When my uncle CB was 8 or 9, my grandmother took him to see the Navy dentist for a bad tooth. They waited in line for a long time and when they finally got in to see the dentist CB threw a big fit and grandma told the dentist never mind and took him home. When she got him home she sat on him and pulled out his tooth with a pair of pliers. Never underestimate the power of a Navy wife.
Some kids knocked on my door one day selling candy bars for some school function. I didn’t really need any more candy bars so I told them I would pay them $20 if they weeded my flower bed. Their mom gave them permission and we both received something of value. Selling candy bars is the first cousin of begging.
Every semester I would ask Walker if he wanted to go to school. He would answer in the affirmative and I would pay for it. He never made very many passing grades. So one semester I asked him if he wanted to go to school. He said yes and I told him about the new plan; he would pay for school and I would reimburse him for every passing grade. I don’t think I was out very much money that semester. After he got married he graduated Magna Cum Laude. His wife swung a bigger hammer than I did.
My business partner had three brothers and was one of 9 kids. When his dad would send them to the barber shop in Kingsville, Texas they were always very careful to tell the barber how they wanted their hair cut but they always received the exact same haircut. They found out later that their dad would call the barber ahead of time and say “I don’t care what those boys say, this is how I want you to cut their hair…”
When I was in the fourth grade I had a friend who lived across the street who always picked on me. After several complaints to my mother she finally told me, “I want you to fight that kid and if you don’t I’m going to give you a whipping”. I still remember the fight. Somehow we continued to be friends. Years later I asked the 6.0 version of my mother and she said, “well… that kid was a bully”.
Our dad had rules for me and my two brothers about how to hit each other. We couldn’t hit each other in the face, belly or back. Dad said we could hit each other in the shoulder area. Dad didn’t encourage us to hit each other he just knew the realities of raising three boys and tried to manage it.
Mom and Dad didn’t care too much about grades when we were growing up. As long as we passed we were OK. My report cards were heavy on “C’s” and light on “A’s”. Somehow we did OK; I’m a Veterinarian, Scott is a Dentist and Greg is a Mechanical Engineer. Still, I always pushed my kids to make good grades. I guess the acorn fell off the tree and rolled into a river on that one.
My kids still laugh about Saturday mornings at out house. Sometimes I would line them up and with buckets in one hand and shovels in the other we would scour one acre for grass bur plants. I’m glad I could create such pleasant memories.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Meet Your New Parkway Members - Kaleb Bryan
Kaleb is a Civil Engineering student at TAMU - Kingsville. He is also an owner and managing partner at Texas Television Enterprises. He played one year of college baseball and is active in sports and the outdoors. Kaleb has started playing Volleyball with us on Tuesday and Thursday nights (along with Jeff Carr). Get to know him... not an order... just a suggestion.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Poverty or Plenty
Deuteronomy 8 (in part)
"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna… to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God."
There is a concept that is taught in these verses that privation produces humility and plenty produces pride. God withheld physical blessings to produce humility and gratitude among his children. He warned them that when he would make them prosperous that they would become prideful and forget them. That’s exactly what happened.
Note this verse that I cut from the above text…
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
It is not in the best interests of a child for a parent to give them too much. Many think it is a parent’s obligation to give a child the best of everything… not true.
For example, In the Calallen High School parking lot I see a lot of nice new cars that the students are driving.
In 1970 when I was 16 years old I bought my first car with the money I earned throwing newspapers. It was a 1965 Pontiac Lemans and it cost me $400. Dad didn’t help me.
Fast forward to 1998, I told Walker and Lauren that I would help buy them a car. Whatever money they saved up I would match. Walker saved $400 and we bought him a car that cost $800. Lauren saved $3000 and we bought her a car that cost $6,000.
Lauren later bought a new car and sold her old car to Walker… he is still driving it.
God didn’t give Israel everything they wanted during the 40 year wilderness wandering, he gave them just what they needed and no more to teach them humility. He used that lesson to teach future generations a sense of appreciation and thankfulness for a time when he would give them more than they needed.
Teach your kids humility when they are young and when they grow up and are the type of people they need to be… give them plenty.
That’s what God did with his children.
"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna… to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.
Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
If you ever forget the LORD your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God."
There is a concept that is taught in these verses that privation produces humility and plenty produces pride. God withheld physical blessings to produce humility and gratitude among his children. He warned them that when he would make them prosperous that they would become prideful and forget them. That’s exactly what happened.
Note this verse that I cut from the above text…
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.
It is not in the best interests of a child for a parent to give them too much. Many think it is a parent’s obligation to give a child the best of everything… not true.
For example, In the Calallen High School parking lot I see a lot of nice new cars that the students are driving.
In 1970 when I was 16 years old I bought my first car with the money I earned throwing newspapers. It was a 1965 Pontiac Lemans and it cost me $400. Dad didn’t help me.
Fast forward to 1998, I told Walker and Lauren that I would help buy them a car. Whatever money they saved up I would match. Walker saved $400 and we bought him a car that cost $800. Lauren saved $3000 and we bought her a car that cost $6,000.
Lauren later bought a new car and sold her old car to Walker… he is still driving it.
God didn’t give Israel everything they wanted during the 40 year wilderness wandering, he gave them just what they needed and no more to teach them humility. He used that lesson to teach future generations a sense of appreciation and thankfulness for a time when he would give them more than they needed.
Teach your kids humility when they are young and when they grow up and are the type of people they need to be… give them plenty.
That’s what God did with his children.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Virginia Lawler and Ann
Virginia and her grand daughter Ann made it to services this morning. Virginia wanted to come to services this morning but was afraid the exertion of getting in and out of the car would be too much. So, Ann told her she would just push her to services in her wheel chair... oxygen bottle and all. That was about a two or three block push.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Respect or Anger?
There is some Bible evidence for the idea that the most important thing you can teach your children is… respect.
Number five of the 10 Commandments commands children to respect their parents. The first four commandments deal with God, the rest of the commandments deal with how we interact with others and of those commandments, respecting one’s parents is numero uno.
How important is the command? Children who violated it were to be put to death.
So, arguably, the most important thing you can do for a child is to teach him respect. Teach a child respect and God will bless him and you. Fail to teach him respect and God will curse that child in life and in death. A rebellious child causes great misery to parents.
Parents have the ability to teach a child respect and also have the ability to teach a child anger and rebellion.
How do you teach a child to be angry? Be a poor example. Make one set of rules for a child and a different set of rules for yourself. Sit in front of the TV every night and drink beer and ignore your family. Be selfish, always think of yourself first. Over punish the kid for minor infractions. Show preferential treatment between your kids… call one smart and the other one stupid. Do what ever you can to always criticize and never praise or encourage your kids.
Do these things and you will have earned for yourself a miserable life and a seat on the front row in Hell and you likely will have driven your child to Hell.
Work at training your child respect and things will be… well.
Number five of the 10 Commandments commands children to respect their parents. The first four commandments deal with God, the rest of the commandments deal with how we interact with others and of those commandments, respecting one’s parents is numero uno.
How important is the command? Children who violated it were to be put to death.
So, arguably, the most important thing you can do for a child is to teach him respect. Teach a child respect and God will bless him and you. Fail to teach him respect and God will curse that child in life and in death. A rebellious child causes great misery to parents.
Parents have the ability to teach a child respect and also have the ability to teach a child anger and rebellion.
How do you teach a child to be angry? Be a poor example. Make one set of rules for a child and a different set of rules for yourself. Sit in front of the TV every night and drink beer and ignore your family. Be selfish, always think of yourself first. Over punish the kid for minor infractions. Show preferential treatment between your kids… call one smart and the other one stupid. Do what ever you can to always criticize and never praise or encourage your kids.
Do these things and you will have earned for yourself a miserable life and a seat on the front row in Hell and you likely will have driven your child to Hell.
Work at training your child respect and things will be… well.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Socialization
One of the things I see in kids of all ages is the behavior of being uncomfortable or even terrified of social situations.
Let me explain it like this. In our business we deal with all kinds of dog owners. Most of them give great care to their dogs. Some of those dogs when they come into our office are terrified and that terror can be manifested by behaviors as mild as trembling or as severe as aggression (fear biters).
These dogs are not abused, far from it, they get the best of care. The problem is they have received either poor or no socialization training. Those dogs invariably never see anything but their own back yards and when faced with a social situation they have not experienced before they become terrified.
The same thing happens with kids, they are fed well and in every way taken good care of but they are not encouraged to experience social situations. They don’t know how to interact with adults, they haven’t been trained in common basic courtesies such as greeting someone with a hand shake, making eye contact and interactive social conversation.
Parents should encourage, train and seek opportunities for their children to engage in social interaction.
In my office owners not only bring their pet in but also their children. Frequently those kids are playing some hand held video game. That’s disrespectful to me and a disservice to them. Make them put those games away and pay attention. Make them shake my hand and speak to me. Show me some signs of respect.
When I was in the sixth grade my parents encouraged me to walk the neighborhood with our lawnmower, knock on doors and seek lawn mowing jobs… three dollars a yard as I recall. From the time I was in the eight until the eleventh grade, I threw newspapers and at the end of the month had to knock on my customer’s doors to collect my wages.
I had to engage in those activities because my parents did not lavish money or the things money can buy on me or my brothers. They taught us how to work and how to interact with adults.
Dog owners can give great care to their pets; proper food, proper medical care, play time and discipline. And yet these pets can soil a Veterinarian’s office and bite the people who are trying to help it.
Socialize your dogs and your kids. Keep me from getting bit and help your kids excel in life.
Let me explain it like this. In our business we deal with all kinds of dog owners. Most of them give great care to their dogs. Some of those dogs when they come into our office are terrified and that terror can be manifested by behaviors as mild as trembling or as severe as aggression (fear biters).
These dogs are not abused, far from it, they get the best of care. The problem is they have received either poor or no socialization training. Those dogs invariably never see anything but their own back yards and when faced with a social situation they have not experienced before they become terrified.
The same thing happens with kids, they are fed well and in every way taken good care of but they are not encouraged to experience social situations. They don’t know how to interact with adults, they haven’t been trained in common basic courtesies such as greeting someone with a hand shake, making eye contact and interactive social conversation.
Parents should encourage, train and seek opportunities for their children to engage in social interaction.
In my office owners not only bring their pet in but also their children. Frequently those kids are playing some hand held video game. That’s disrespectful to me and a disservice to them. Make them put those games away and pay attention. Make them shake my hand and speak to me. Show me some signs of respect.
When I was in the sixth grade my parents encouraged me to walk the neighborhood with our lawnmower, knock on doors and seek lawn mowing jobs… three dollars a yard as I recall. From the time I was in the eight until the eleventh grade, I threw newspapers and at the end of the month had to knock on my customer’s doors to collect my wages.
I had to engage in those activities because my parents did not lavish money or the things money can buy on me or my brothers. They taught us how to work and how to interact with adults.
Dog owners can give great care to their pets; proper food, proper medical care, play time and discipline. And yet these pets can soil a Veterinarian’s office and bite the people who are trying to help it.
Socialize your dogs and your kids. Keep me from getting bit and help your kids excel in life.
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