When I was growing up, my father had a rule that consisted simply of when you screw up, you go to the closet, bring him the belt, and put it away when he gets done tanning your hide.

One night, years later when we were at a bar together, I thanked him for caring enough to give me well-deserved butt-kickings when I done bad.

Today's kids are in serious need of a return to those days.

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Anyone who hits a child in any way shape or form should be publicly tortured to death.

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Jarlaxle Baenre
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RIP E. Gary Gygax 1938-2008

Jaraxel your probably right, dad didn't know much better, as a kid it was a horse whip. My daughter all I had to do was frown. The son took a little reinforcement every so often like I said just a open palm once across the butt. They didn't turn out bad the daugters studying for a doctorate in Micro biology The son Is a welder building ships for the navy, his former employer. They both call me daily.

My father put me in the hospital several times, and several other times I should have gone. He once told me that if I did, he'd beat me to death. The final straw was when he attacked me with an ax. I came back a couple hours later with a double-barrel shotgun (both barrels loaded & cocked, safety off, finger on the trigger) & told him that if he as much as looked at me crosswise again I'd kill him. Realistically, I knew it wouldn't have killed him, or even stopped him, but I figured I could at least emasculate him with 2 duck loads in the crotch from 5 feet away before he killed me. About a year later, he attacked my girlfriend with a sledgehammer (running at her screaming "SATANIC #####!"). I have no doubt at all he was swinging to kill. She put him in the hospital with a broken sternum, and I will regret for the rest of my life that I risked my own life when I stopped her from killing him. The world would be a much better place.

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Jarlaxle Baenre
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RIP E. Gary Gygax 1938-2008

Dang...........That story is a thread killer.

My oldest son (20 at the time) attacked my 5 year old son. I broke his nose. He now has a new understanding on who the boss is.

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I am not a trucker but am married to one and have been out in the truck with him. 4 wheelers are the major cause for trucking accidents. Coming onto a major highway they break their necks trying to get in front of a truck. Many times have we been cut off by such idiots. Also just driving in my own car I see many stupid moves by cars. They get along side a truck and stay there. They zip in and out cutting in front of a truck and slam on their brakes. Hello there idiot a truck can not stop as fast as a car. I detest those lawyer commericals on TV "Ever been in an accident with a truck?" I promise myself one day to call these ambulance chasers and give them a piece of my mind. Yes sometimes a truck driver is aggressive but that is an exception and not the rule. They are out there trying to make a living. At the end of the day they want to be able to get home after running for 2-3 weeks and be with their familes. They do not want to be a highway statistic.

Wow! You're a "Guest", why not act like one?

I'm a 4 wheeler. We're the worst.

Most of us don't understand or appreciate that Drivers/Truckers are out there earning a living on many of the same roads we're using to visit friends, take a holiday, cart kids to soccer/t-ball, talk on the phone while reading the mail or applying lipstick.

Here's a couple of driving tips for you - I'm guessing you're a 4-wheeler like me - especially useful when you're traveling the nation's highways:

1. Use your turn signals - you're likely traveling at a high speed, it's safer if you alert others on the road of your intentions. Most Truckers will flash their lights indicating they are aware you are changing lanes and to let you know they're making room for you - remember, you get into their lane, they need to slow down.

2. Travel at a consistent rate of speed - jack-rabbit driving [particularly at high speeds] increases the danger to everyone else traveling the road with you.

3. Give Trucks a wide berth - they're much bigger & heavier than us which means the machinery is slower to respond than we are. They can't accelerate as quickly or decelrate as quickly as you and I. They need more than 6 feet to change lanes.

and one more when you're on the surface streets with them:
4. The White Line at a Traffic Light is a "barrier" - when you're stopped at a red light and you're in the left turn lane, if there's a Tractor Trailer at the cross street making a right turn or will be crossing in front of you, give them some room. They don't have the tight turning radius that your car or even your SUV has, they will turn as tightly as they can without tipping their load to avoid hitting us. We can help them by being considerate and not crowding the intersection.

I'm sure there are more considerate actions we, as 4 wheelers, can take to ensure our safety and yours. Please don't hesitate to let me know what they are.

[My husband used to own a logistics company, btw. He's taught me a lot about sharing the road with our larger traveling companions]

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Nope, not a Trucker.

That is a good one. I hate it when they stop past the stop line. For a right turn, when that happens, the trucker has to run over the sidewalk to make the turn, or he can't do it at all. Then he has to wait for the light to change so the idiot in question can move, which holds up traffic.
For a left turn, it's the same thing. The car has to back up, or the trucker has to sit through the light cycle and hold up traffic because some idiot pulled out too far.

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

When I thought about it later, it's really about crowding the intersection regardless of which lane of traffic I'm in as a 4-wheeler. kwim?

If I crowd the intersection or the vehicle in front of me and there's an accident or a vehicle breaks down, I'm stuck if I'm right up the vehicle's tailpipe. Can't back up and no room to turn tight to get out and go on my merry way.

Hitting that sidewalk always makes me shiver that the trailer will tip and I'll be under it. Worse, does the load shift in there? That's gotta be a bear to unload if it does, 'specially for an LTL carrier.

Anyway, be safe out there!

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Nope, not a Trucker.

I have made cops back up before for pulling up to far while they were on the cell phone not paying attention.