The whoopin' strap and the wooden spoon
A long riff on childhood corporal punishment: one host's dad used a barber's leather strop — 'the whoopin' strap' — while another family kept a designated wooden spoon on top of the refrigerator as 'the ender,' framed and lit like a trophy. They swap stories — a mom who counted to three but swung on two, a dad who swung at his son on the stairs and missed completely — and discuss their own parenting philosophy: never in anger, always with a clear warning line, and only once or twice ever, including an upcoming sermon series on child-rearing titled 'Beat Him With a Rod' from Proverbs.
More on Parenting
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Dear LFTP: Champ the untrained dog and holding boundaries with your son
- How do I handle my son bringing his untrained dog Champ on our weekend grandson visits?
Mike reads the second letter: the writer hosts weekend grandson visits where her son Dennis brings Champ, an untrained destructive puppy that runs wild, barks, and digs.
From No. 586 · Nothing Personal
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Dear LFTP: wife mocks husband's bladder problem in public
- How should I respond when my wife mocks me and my bladder problem in public?
Mike reads a letter from a man married three years whose wife calls him vulgar names in public and makes his bladder-control problem into comedy.
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Dear LFTP: the birthday invitations
- Should parents be allowed to send birthday invitations to school when only select students are invited?
Mike reads the second letter: the parent of a special-needs pre-K child saw a Facebook group post exposing that her daughter was excluded from a birthday party.
From No. 574 · Starring Ted Danson as Joab
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Dear LFTP: Cindy's baby name ideas
- What should I do about my friend's terrible baby name choices?
Mike reads a letter from Dave about his longtime friend Cindy, six months pregnant, who keeps proposing names like chlamydia, bidet, chalet, and cliche because they sound pretty regardless of meaning.