It was always our premise that a child learns self-control by first experiencing external control (I am not talking about anything that borders on abuse). I’m 71 and my 4th grade teacher in 1963 did not suffer fools lightly. If a child misbehaved, he or she was marched to the front of the room where Mrs. Wisecarver used a ruler to whack some knuckles. That would seem horrid to most of today’s parents. And the result is exactly what we see all around us: utter lack of self-control.