As a farm boy, I quickly learned about choices and consequences, although initially it was difficult owning my problematic behavior.

It seemed a lot easier to point the finger of blame toward other people, places and/or things, as in “The devil made me do it!”

One example was my brief experiment with cigarettes. As a curious kid, I took some and hid them in a glass jar in an old bird nest in the woodshed. Shortly thereafter, my mother and younger sister, while on a nature hike, discovered my stash. When confronted, I said, “They aren’t my brand!”

This irresponsible tap dancing and finger-pointing failed miserably, as my feet, and lungs, were held to the fire of tough love as my mother forced me to smoke a whole pack while she watched. Lesson learned – I never smoked again.

Obviously, the current leader of the Republican Party never earned his Boy Scout accountability merit badge, probably because his parents didn’t teach him the basics about tough love.

Mike Beebe

Lyndeborough