Ian Manson
Waitao
It takes a village to discipline a child
We lived in suburban Rotorua in the 1960s and 1970s and from the corner for over 200m south there was only one fence higher than a metre bounding sections, and across the road a similar story.
If Mum happened to be in town and it threatened rain our neighbour would jump the fence and get the washing in and poke it in the unlocked back door and, of course, Mum would do the same for Joyce if she was out.
We're often told that it ''takes a village to raise a child'', and while I'm not altogether in agreement with that, I see some merit in the idea.
Our lives were lived quite openly before friendly neighbours and as teenagers we were conscious that others could see our antics and this was a further measure of discipline that the village applied.
Today, sadly, we cloister ourselves behind 2m-high walls to maintain our privacy, seemingly fearful that others, who probably aren't in the slightest bit interested, may pry into our affairs.
Am I really that important that I'd elicit more than even a casual glance from most?
We all have a fiercely independent spirit that claims rights without any thought of responsibilities.
When unchecked by those early village-type disciplines as well as the societal rejection of the Godly principles of truth and honesty, can we really expect a crime-free society?
John Williams
Rotorua
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