When I was a kid I could ride down to the Y on the bus by myself, and got into trouble with the police for trying to bring a skinny old dog home on the bus. No wait, that was in the book Henry Huggins.

I can't completely disagree with the deterent theory, but I disagree a bit. Gurney's observation about kids learning they are important is a big deal to me, because if "exercising their rights" and getting in trouble is the only way for a kid to feel important, some will have to go for it just to get noticed. Child labor should be a good thing, but we can't generally trust the adult community with it. Deterents need effective alternatives. The kids didn't poison the well, and no amount of deterent will keep people from drinking, if bad water is all there is.

My kids are much better behaved than I was, although I met up with stronger deterents. I've never had to spank either of them, and I tell them I don't want to, but they have to help me, (I try to make it their job and notice the effort they put into it) or I probably will. For now that's working. And if we take late retirements and early deaths I think we might make this work.