Discipline

One of the biggest challenges of raising children is discipline and the very fine line parents have to walk between too much or not enough. We are all products of our own upbringing and the reaction to the parenting style we experienced. I grew up in a completely different era with a lot more freedom, to the point that my parents would probably be charged with child neglect nowadays because from a very early age I was allowed complete freedom to roam the neighborhood. I can remember from pre-kindergarten times heading out to play and running around the woods behind our house with my best friend from a couple houses down the street with no supervision. Of course I grew up in a small town and that had something to do with it but I still can’t imagine a 4 year old being allowed to do this nowadays, anywhere.

My parents were fairly strict, especially my mother who handled the lion’s share of raising my three sisters and myself. We were spanked and on one occasion I received a belt across my backside from my father. I never felt abused because looking back I earned every one of the spankings and richly deserved the belt. That friend from down the street and I used that freedom I spoke about to break every window in a vacant house. I felt fortunate to escape with my life. I never spanked my own children but I was luckier than most in the children I was blessed with (no broken windows).

I was however strict. My son would say overly strict, especially with him compared with his sister. I’m glad his own first child is a daughter so he’ll experience the inevitable father-daughter dance on this issue. I was fully onboard the military life when my children arrived so, as I said, I was strict with time outs and a very loud voice when called upon. My wife and I used to take flak for this from our families, especially on my wife’s side, but a child needs discipline if they are going to be the best version of themselves. Parental discipline is the bedrock for self-discipline which is required for a successful life. There’s nothing easy about it though.

I’m starting to figure out the games either MoviePass or my local theater play with some of the biggest movie releases. Last night I wanted to see Ready Player One but MoviePass said it was unavailable at the local theater because it was a premium showing. The same movie was playing ten miles away at the Solomon Pond Mall and was available for MoviePass so I went there, an easy drive down the interstate and a much nicer theater. Looking into it some people are theorizing MoviePass is trying to leverage theaters into a piece of the concession revenue by showing them the drop off when certain movies are not available to them. I don’t care – I enjoyed exploring a new theater (at least to me).

The movie was fabulous and should be required viewing for any self-styled pop culture geek. Guilty. Those references are almost non-stop and it becomes a game to pick up on the most subtle of these.. It’s Spielberg so there’s a very earnest hero pitted against the forces of corporate evil. In the not too distant future society has descended into a bit of self-indulgent morass as people can escape their difficult real world circumstances in the VR world of the Oasis where they can be anything or anybody. The hero is on a quest with his gang of buddies (which Spielberg always does well) to find the hidden clues that will turn the Oasis corporation over to them. He’s pitted against that evil corporation which can field a literal army of players in the Oasis to combat our plucky heroes. This was just plain fun as 70s and 80s pop culture have achieved a form of religion in this future world and played to the hilt. One of the key scenes has the players transported literally into the original Shining movie with hilarious results. I can’t recommend this highly enough and unless you’re overly self-important it’s a very fun ride.  Annal-Nathrak, indeed.