Replies

AGREED 100%.

IF I was going to write an article about being a MAN in the 21st Century, I’d say this & more:

1. HUNT & FISH. Even in 2019, hunting is far from obsolete & given the fact that our forefathers succeeded in killing of most of the natural predators, game animal numbers are EXPLODING. -In many places there may be 200 or more Whitetail Deer per square mile & IF they aren’t thinned out, they will not only eat everything in sight & starve but also become diseased & waste away SLOWLY/PAINFULLY.
(A .30-06 bullet is a QUICK & near painless death, if you can shoot well & at a reasonable range.)
I suggest that dads/moms learn to hunt & fish if you don’t know how & then teach your kids. - To quote an old/wise saying: “Hunt with your kids or hunt for them later.”
(One thing that the author of the original article is correct about is LEARN to COOK, if you don’t know how.= One day, you may well NEED to know how to cook.)

2. PROTECT HOME & HEARTH. BOTH men & women would do well to make & practice a FAMILY EMERGENCY PLAN. - Such a plan should include good locks for all doors/windows & an intrusion/fire alarm system.
(MANY such systems are relatively inexpensive easy to install yourself & cost 20.oo or less per month to have professionally monitored, 24/365.)

ACQUIRE a suitable defensive forearm for HOME DEFENSE, learn to keep it cleaned/lubricated/maintained properly/secured & LEARN to use it safely.- A quality shotgun or revolver will last for generations, with little effort.
(Even a rank beginner can learn to shoot a double-barrel or pump-action shotgun and/or a .38SPL revolver successfully & with a few hours of professional lessons, IF you don’t already know how.)

LEARN EMERGENCY FIRST AID. - The RED CROSS teaches FREE classes on that subject. When you need help most in a serious manmade/natural emergency professional help may be hours/days before they arrive at your home..

CONSIDER BUYING EMERGENCY FOOD & WATER. = Enough food & bottled water for a week may well keep the family alive & reasonably well, until outside help arrives to rescue your family and/or bring in supplies.
COMMENT: At 72YO, I’ve lived through 4 major hurricanes & a pair of severe tornados.= When such things happen, it’s generally too late to prepare to care for your loved ones/yourself.

3. LEARN PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE & CAR REPAIR. - Professionals charge $$$$ for simple jobs like changing hoses, changing the oil/oil & fuel filters, checking the power steering/radiator/brake fluids & other simple tasks.
(HAYNES & CHILTON sell simple to read/understand manuals n most cars/pickups.- The manuals are cheap, too. Less than 50.oo in wrenches/screwdrivers/a socket set are worth having & will save you more than their small cost, the first or 2nd time that you do your own oil/filter change).

4. LEARN to do simple home repairs yourself. - What you’ll spend for DIY tools/supplies will be repaid the first time that you do NOT have to call a plumber/roofer/carpenter for a small job. - Community colleges teach such simple skills, if you don’t know how to do simple fixes in the home.

5. LEARN TO LEAD, RATHER THAN DRIVE YOUR FAMILY. - YELLING/SCREAMING & USING OR TOLERATING VIOLENCE in your home is a sign of WEAKNESS, regardless of what your parents believed. Further, such behavior will cause your wife/kids to learn DISRESPECT for you, as “the head of the household”.
(As my beloved grandfather used to say, “Avoid the loud-talking man. In most cases, all that you are hearing is air escaping from the place where his brain is supposed to
be.)
A TIP for dealing with your wife: IF you liked what she was when you were dating, continue to treat her like your girlfriend & in virtually every case, she will respond in kind & will knock herself out to please you.
(I’m blessed to have met & married a very feminine, beautiful, loving, charming, cooperative & devoutly religious lady, who is now a lovely mother to our infant son.- As THE GOOD BOOK says, “A good woman is a pearl beyond price”. = I try hard to treat her as the precious treasure that she demonstrably IS.)

6. DISCIPLINE CHILDEN W/O ANGER. - Imo, hitting a child, except in the most extreme of circumstance, is another sign of weakness & inability to get cooperation from your kids, absent threats of or using violence. HITTING will often get IMMEDIATE compliance but it teaches the child that you are incapable of getting your way w/o violence & will, in the long-term, teach them disrespect for you as “the head of the household”. = I cannot ever remember my grandfather hitting any of us but we minded him because we didn’t want to have him think less of us. - He was a GENTLEMAN of “the old school” & a “man to look up to.”
COMMENT: King Solomon was 100% correct, long ago, in his book, THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON: “Strike your son & teach him to sin.”

7. REMEMBER “THE GOLDEN RULE”. - IF you treat others in your life as you would have them treat you, you’ll likely not go too far wrong. Also remember the SCRIPTURE: “A soft answer turneth away wrath.”
For those who don’t respond positively to fair play &
kindness, you are better off without them in your life!!
(It’s foolish to expect a child to confide in you, if they see you as a disciplinarian first & before they see you as a loving father.)

I welcome & solicit your comments on how that I believe that a gentleman should try to live his life.

Just my OPINIONS, TMN7824.