photo #1978011

     Do you remember, as a child, being held accountable for your actions?  I do!  I was a 4 year old thief that got caught!After 60 years some of the details have gotten fuzzy but I recall being taken back to the store to return the candy and apologize.  Having to hold my hands behind my back so I couldn't touch anything in a store for several years and the spanking delivered by my Father that evening.     Did I have to face the police?  No I didn't.  But, it had a lasting impression on me!  I was lucky, I had parents who would not accept my behaviour and we lived in a small town that supported parents.     It is sad to see an 8 year old placed in a patrol car to be driven home to face his father.  To hear the onlookers screaming at the police was disheartening.  Maybe this child will carry the memory of the consequences of his theft into the future.  This might have been the very best thing that could have happened to this child.