Simonton Says

It's 2004: Do you know where your children are?

“American children need to be caned more,” an African man recently told my husband.

Wade and I were amused. Would we cane our children? No. But then, we’re 21st century American parents.

I’ve thought about the caning opinion, however, – especially when I read the AJC article Do you know where your kids are? -- because it pounds home the vast differences in childrearing among cultures.

Coming up roses: The mind of Ron Marbaugh

When I saw him on Father’s Day, I noticed my father-in-law was wearing flowery blue jeans. Since he’s 84, a rather gruff ex-Marine, and has never to my knowledge been seen in florals, I was surprised.

The flowers were large and pink, about 4 inches wide -- what you might call cabbage roses. They decorated the front legs of his jeans.

Ron Marbaugh mostly wears jeans and short-sleeved knit shirts. When he’s not watching the Braves on TV or his daily “Gunsmoke” rerun, he’s outdoors or in his home workshop. He builds birdhouses, cultivates a big garden, and keeps a large swath of grass mowed.