Call for parental discipline

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33003, 24 August 1972, Page 3

Call for parental discipline

INZ. Pr«s« Association) TAURANGA, August 23. Children had to be brought up in fear of the Lord or fear of the law —it could not be expected that if these guard-rails were taken away from them they would behave, said Mr G. J. Donne, S.M., to the Tauranga South Rotary Club last evening. Mr Donne, who said that he would probably be branded as a reactionary for his comments, attacked the

permissive society and called for more discipline, understanding and love from parents. He said he believed that children appreciated discipline from their parents because he was convinced they liked to know where they stood. Parents must try to understand their children and appreciate their need for security. “When you take away their security it leads to problems, and that is what I see in court.” EROSION SEEN Mr Donne said that he did not believe the quotation from Socrates about the youth of his day still applied

as many people said it did. “Don’t fall into the belief that all is not bad. I think there is an erosion in the young people’s lives that can only cause worry for us—and for them in the future.

“When I was young I was taught that hellfire was the real thing. Now they have taken the fear of hellfire away, and what have they put in its place?” Mr Donne referred to a recent “Gallery” programme in which children from one school had been protesting. “Did it not hurt to see a flipperty-gibbet of a girl protest that the abortion laws being as they are, a number of girls could not complete their secondary school education as they could not be aborted?” he said. “Did it not hurt to hear the same little girl say that there should be more information on contraception and that young people should be able to sleep together? “A few years ago we would have thought that disgusting.” PARENTS BLAMED Parents would be wise to be not so permissive, to say when justified, “This will not do,” he said. Commenting on moves to have sex taught in schools, Mr Donne said that it was no use blaming teachers for any lapse in standards among the young. “The real blame lies with parents as we are prepared to close our eyes to that conduct which creates greater permissiveness,” he said.

Not long ago not much was heard about marijuana—now it was closing the eyes if people did not acknowledge that its use was increasing at an alarming rate. It was so easy to try to reason in a way which satis-

fled your own feelings, rather than try to understand and improve those who needed you, Mr Donne said. It was easy to control children of up to 17 or 18 provided that in their young days a foundation of love and trust was laid. After about 18 they would go their own ways.

“We have got to get them to the stage that when they leave the nest they act as we would wish them to.” CRIME RATE

Mr Donne said that trends in the Children’s Court showed an increase in crime among young people. Now it was not unusual to find young boys facing 10 to 12 charges of burglary, and it was now not uncommon to find girl burglars. There was also a greater incidence of promiscuity among girls of 13 to 15, and they were quite blase about their conduct, he said. With the number of advertisements for erotic books and contraceptives available, who could blame the children when adults who were supposed to be looking after their welfare allowed access to such things?