MID-SOUTH MEMORIES
25 years ago — 1996
Adults continue the bothersome search for alternatives to spanking children. It’s not easy. The history of spanking goes back to the Bible, at least. Everybody knows what it is and how to do it. The alternative techniques that sprang up with Dr. Benjamin Spock in the middle of this century range from ignoring bad behavior to rewarding good behavior, logical consequences and grounding children. Not everyone knows what these techniques are, nor how best to use them. Time-out, for instance, is among the most misunderstood ways of dealing with misbehavior, says Ellen Junn, associate professor of child development at California State University, Fullerton. ”Most parents and preschool teachers use it like punishment, like Dennis the Menace sitting in the corner with a dunce cap,” she says. ”It doesn’t teach the child anything new. It just teaches that he did something bad, and just causes a lot of resentment.” Time-out is supposed to be a way to give children time to get control of their emotions, so they can talk to the adults about what happened and learn how and why to prevent it in the future. Junn prefers calling it ”cool down.” Some experts say time-out means that misbehaving children should sit on a bench or chair for the number of minutes that corresponds to their age. If they get up, more minutes are added.
50 years ago — 1971
Curt Flood arrived at the Washington Senators’ spring training camp at Pompano Beach, Fla., yesterday with one goal in mind in 1971 baseball: To defeat the St. Louis Cardinals badly in the World Series. “I’ve been thinking about it all winter,” he said after a 2hour, 15-minute workout. “The one personal goal I have is to kick the hell out of the Cardinals in the World Series.” Flood’s disdain for the Cardinals stems from their trading him to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969 after 11 years in St. Louis. He refused to report. 75 years ago — 1946 WASHINGTON – A “strike” by milk producers in the Memphis territory, that would leave the city virtually without milk, loomed as a distinct possibility Friday night. L.F. Friend, secretary of the Mid-south Milk Producers Association of Memphis, said here Friday night that members of the organization will meet in Memphis Wednesday to study the situation. More than 90 percent of Memphis’ milk supply comes from North Mississippi.
100 years ago — 1921
Next week will be “Eat More Rice Week” in Memphis. A campaign to stimulate the consumption of rice in Memphis, especially of the variety that is produced in a radius of 150 miles of the city, will start Monday and continue through Saturday. It was announced by local businessmen last night. A houseto-house canvass will be one method employed in reaching Memphis housewives, who will be urged to serve rice at least once daily. The purpose of the campaign is to aid in the revival of oldtime business conditions in one of the big industries in this territory.