Bring back our shoe-hiding, bring back respect

Of all the things we’ve lost during the ages, respect is probably the most valuable one.
No longer do youngsters respect their elders or respect themselves it would seem. The reason it would seem is the absence of corporal punishment and most notably, the absence of shoe-hiding.
Growing up with the threat of shoe-hiding kept many Indian children in line. Kids were too scared to put a toe out of line or even look at their parents the wrong way, in case they caught a hiding.
They never back-chatted or did wrong or begged for stuff in shops because they knew what was in store for them if they did. If they did, they would have got shandis (hiding) and it didn’t matter where you were, or how many people were around you, your parents would still hit you.
The thing about Indian parents is that if they threatened to hit you, you knew they would. It didn’t matter how many people were around, in fact, the more the merrier.
And the more you cried and put on a spectacle, the more hiding you got. To make matters worse, hidings weren’t limited to just with shoes.
Indian parents would hit you with whatever they could get their hands on. From fly swatters, to rolled-up newspapers, to sjamboks and belts, the method of hiding all depended on how angry a parent was and what was closest to them to at the time.
The easiest way to avoid a severe beating was to hide the dangerous things away beforehand if you expected to get a hiding. Nowadays it’s parents who need to be hiding stuff.
Too often do you hear stories of the seniors been abused and victimised by the younger generation. Too often do values and morals go out the window, replaced by attitude and arrogance.
Just like the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls and #PayBackOurMoney, we need to start a new campaign to restore respect in society.
So look out for #BringBackShoeHiding, the new hashtag that will be trending worldwide soon.