Who enjoys practising handstands at seven in the morning? But that's how children were trained in the old days.
We weren't allowed to watch TV as kids.
I must have been a really tough kid to corral. I got disciplined quite frequently. I guess that would be the best way to say it. The rod, I wore out the rod. You know, Spare the rod and spoil the child? Well, I wore out the rod.
My mother was a powerful influence. She made me toe the line. If I didn't have a perfect report card, she showed her disappointment.
I don't think I was a monstrous child. I don't think I was ever allowed to be.
By age seven, I used to comb my hair for performances, just pull my hair up into a bun. Granted, it wasn't a very intricate hairstyle. Still, to be that responsible and disciplined at age seven is unusual.
My father was a Baptist preacher, and he used to read the King James Bible to me every single morning. He made me memorize it and repeat verses at night before I went to sleep.
I say to my kids all the time - and this is absolutely true - I always say, 'Who's the boss?' and they go, 'You are.'
Presently it appears that people are mainly concerned with being well rested. Those capable of uninterrupted sleep are much admired. Unconsciousness is in great demand. This is the day of the milligram. The rigors of learning how to do long division have been a traditional part of childhood, just like learning to smoke. In fact, as far as I am concerned, the two go hand in hand. Any child who cannot do long division by himself does not deserve to smoke.
I was grounded for all of my childhood. Not most - all.
Donald Trump's mother, who said, Donnie! Stop playing Monopoly and get in that barber's chair! Never got a dinner!
As a young boy you gave me whoopings to save my life.
When I was seven or eight, whenever I was getting too rowdy at night, my parents would give me a maths workbook to work on to quieten me down.
When I grew up, shame was used as a tool for check and balance. If you stood a chance of hearing someone say, "Shame on you," or "You should be ashamed of yourself," you thought twice. It doesn't seem to be a factor today.
My mother would thump me sharply on the head with a thimble or a spoon if I became too noisy with the whistle when I was playing I was a steamboat captain. She had no sense of the dignity of command.
In my mother's household, hit shows like 'The Love Boat' and 'Three's Company' were 'not appropriate for nice lit'tle girls.' So was the prospect of staying up past 8:00 P.M. - and don't even think about talking back.
My eight-year-old bought a bicycle with the money he saved by not smoking.
When I was younger and my parents used to always slap my hand if I was picking my nose or if I was running around screaming I was told to shut up.
I started working out and doing martial arts when I was about 4 years old, and I was competing by the time I was five or six. So my mom and dad had me doing push-ups and sit-ups from a very young age.
I can remember walking as a child. It was not customary to say you were fatigued. It was customary to complete the goal of the expedition.
A child can go only so far in life without potty training. It is not mere coincidence that six of the last seven presidents were potty trained, not to mention nearly half of the nation's state legislators.
I'm a church boy. I got whuppin's. So I'm afraid at any moment my grandmother could just swing down from heaven with a switch.
My mother raised me in the church. I was not allowed to stay home on Sunday; there was no option. I sang in the choir all the way up until I went to college.
My brother and I were meditating before we were 6 years old, having to stare at the wall and chant.
I grew up in an era when strange adults would grab me on the street and say: 'Don't do that.' You never see that these days. 'Hi, we took the liberty of spanking your son.' Oh thanks, my hand was getting worn.
