Tough love

So, for the last 3 days I've been helping out as a counselor at a Christian camp. This session was for little kids ages 6-8 or so. You know what I've decided.....American kids need some tough love. Man alive! I don't think I've ever seen such whiny, bratty kids in my life. Don't get me wrong, they were sweet too, but some of them seriously needed an attitude check. I think one little girl whined enough for every camper there. I just kept thinking, "man, in Ghana, this kid would get a spanking for whining like that." I'm not saying that every single time a kid whines or gets a bad attitude you should whack 'em. But sometimes a kid needs a spanking. Kids in my age group almost all got spankings when we did something wrong and most of us aren't emotionally scarred from the experience. And in Ghana when a kids gets disciplined when it's over, they have to thank you for it. Because you discipline your kids (even your students) because you love them....so they should be thankful that you love them enough to discipline them. It seems kind of shocking to Americans that we're so "harsh" over there. But in all honesty, kids need discipline and routine. When they know their boundaries they are much better off and so are the adults that care for them. I dunno, just a thought.