I heard some comments last week comedian Jeff Foxworthy made regarding teachers. Some of them reminded me of many mothers, good mothers, and a handful of fathers, as well as teachers.

Foxworthy's question was, "How do you know you are a teacher?" Paraphrased, "How do you know you are a good mother (parent)?"

One was, "You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line." That is true not only of good teachers but of good mothers, and fathers. Often the guys don't measure up, though!

Another was, "You can eat a multi-course meal in under 25 minutes." I have heard the story that when my mother was raising the five of us, not only might she have eaten a meal in less than 25 minutes, but sometimes she did not eat at all -- and maintained her health!

How about this one, "You want to slap the next person who says, 'Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off.'" That is not too unlike the sentiment that stay-at-home moms do not work. Stay at home with one of them sometime!

I really like this one, "You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside." I used to dismiss the old "wife's tale" that thought the full moon affects human behavior, but not any more.

I have learned that for thousands of years it has been believed that the "fates" of men and women move in "cycles." Some research appears to link regularly occurring human behavior and the cycles of the moon and planets and solar radiation.

A psychologist at the University of Miami researched this full moon idea as it relates to crime. He, along with other researchers, collected information on murders in Dade County, Florida over a period of 15 years. During that period, there were 1,877 murders in Dade County.

The researchers found that the incidences of murder matched the phases of the moon, that the two rose and fell together.

A teacher, a mother, and a few fathers do not have to be convinced of that -- they have known it for years!

A final one that caught my attention was this: "You understand instantaneously why a child behaves a certain way after meeting his or her parents."

That makes me more than happy I have never met some parents!

Jack Rollins is the managing editor of the Daily Dunklin Democrat.