9/30/2010......Respect and Discipline

Ok today's blog is going to be a little different than my normal blog...I was raised to be respectful to those older than me, in a position of authority over me, to my coaches and school teachers and most definitely to my parents and grandparents...Alot of that discipline or training was drilled into me by my football Coach Larry "Bud" Wright....Coach Wright was a man of short stature and a big heart...Now don't get me wrong when Coach said it was time to get down to business we listened and if we were disrespectful we paid the price...Here is the thing I see today...Parents today need to step up to the plate and start taking responsibility for their children and for their child's behavior...You see I believe that sports can teach young men/women the discipline and respect that is needed to succeed in life...The problem is that parents today want their kids to be babied...Let me say at this point, I DO NOT CONDONE THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN PERIOD!!!  But I do support discipline...

Let me say this....Respect and Discipline should start in the home with mom and dad!!  I have seen many children look at their parents and just tell them off or back talk them...This really irks me!! If I had said some of the things to my parents that I have heard other kids say to their parents...I would have been knocked into next week and not able to sit on my rear end for a week...When my mom and dad said NO or made a decision...That was final and there was no back talking....Parents, it is not my place to tell you how to raise your kids but I am saying that alot of the kids today are disrespectful and rude to anyone older than them or has some type of authority of them...Why?? It is because of a lack of discipline at home!!  I would also like to state here that I feel alot of issues could be solved by spanking the kids on the rear end and by having the kids and family sitting together in church on Sunday...The day of family unity is slowly dying!!

Discipline and Respect in sports...Let me say that this goes for every sport baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, football, etc.....Let me start with respect...Coach Wright always demanded respect from his players..There was never any talking when Coach was talking or any of his other assistant coaches...We were not allowed to cross our hands during practice because to him that meant you were not paying attention...When he asked a question or spoke to you it was always yes coach and no coach...The players knew that he was to be respected..He not only expected us to respect him and his coaching staff but we were to respect the teachers, our parents and our other coaches and if we ever stepped out of line Coach Wright would be there to have a talk with you....You see respect is important in sports as well as everyday life!!

Discipline in sports( all sports) is vital!! Without the discipline, you cannot teach the fundamentals needed to stay safe in the game and you cannot gain the respect that is needed....Now when I talk discipline here I am not talking about beating the kids..If a player acts up there are things like up-downs, running, sit-ups, push-ups, etc that one can use to get the child's attention...It is also, in my opinion, ok to yell at a child to get their attention...I am not talking about degrading the child or making that child feel worthless...But sometimes you have to light a fire under them to get them fired-up and sometimes that is the only way to get their attention..Now after you discipline the child, I believe you should also praise the child...They need to know what they are doing right as well as what they are doing wrong...When you discipline a child..ALWAYS discipline a child out of love...You know what I mean??

It takes everyone working together to raise a child...Parents need to step-up to the plate and support those coaches who are working with their kids, parents need to step-up and support the teachers and schools, parents need to step-up and be objective when an elderly(or neighbor) comes to talk to you about your child and parents need to step-up and support police officers and others in a position of authority when they come to talk to you about something your child may or may not have done...It is time parents to step-up!!  Coaches, teachers, Police Officers, etc it is time for us to step-up and make sure that we work with the parents and that we set a good example for the child...Cussing and degrading a child is not the example we should be....Beating a child is not the example we want to be as adults...We all need to step up and help the children reach their potential in life...

Lastly, I want to say that I think alot of today's problems are due to a lack of God in our lives...You look at many of the problems that we face today...I think things have just gotten worse and worse since God has been removed from our schools, our government and lastly our homes...You see if we put God first in all that we do and we love people the way God loved us(after all He sent His ONLY Son to die for you and me) alot of these problems would go away...So, I challenge all to bring God back into your life and into your family...And you will see changes that will amaze you, you will see attitudes change, you will see hearts change and you will see young men and women who are disciplined and respectful....

I want to give a shout out today to God...I just thank Him for the beautiful weather and the many blessings and friends He has put into my life...I am not the perfect Christian and I strive to be a better person everyday...But I will tell you the devil is a workers and he works on me daily!!

I also want to give a shout out to my friend(and Brother in Christ) Danny Douglass...I just want to say over this last year we have become really great friends and I have the up most respect for Danny...Danny gave his life to Christ and he is a completely different man!! You can see it in his eyes and in his actions..I for one appreciate his words and prayers!! Love ya Brother and thank you for being a great friend and Brother in Christ!!

Randy "Shrek" Weaver