An Important Trend

Big discussion on the radio today about what to do with people who can't concentrate or settle down in a work/school environment.

The callers seemed evenly divided. Some defended the old way of getting someone to concentrate or settle down, i.e. hollering at them, "Concentrate, doggone ya!" or "Settle down, consarn it all!"

The others went with the other approach: give them riddlin'. I think this might be the way to go. You have a kid who can't get focused on his studies, you toss a few "What's black and white and red all over?" riddles, or the time-tested "What do you get when you cross a parrot with a shark?" at him or her, and they're gonna knuckle down and buckle up, or the other way around, depending on what side of the Mississippi they call home.

They say this "riddlin' " might be the cure for all the ills we know of.

One of the kids in the 'hood told me about this new trend the other night, before he left for night Sunday School. He was in a hurry; they were going to sing a new song. There's a kid named Jacob Slatter in the class, and he's a big dude, and allows the others to use him as a Jungle Gym. The song they sing while doing so, of course, is "We Are Climbing Jacob Slatter."