Mama, Remember That Time You Spanked Tommy in the Van?

The rod and rebuke give wisdom,

But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Proverbs 29:15

I was a spanking parent when necessary.

NOT a reach around a swat your child parent.

NOT a beat the crap out of your child parent....

But a talk about what they did wrong and quickly enforce a consequence parent.

It worked.

Most of the time.

My kids always knew when my disciplinary measures were limited like, for example, when I was driving, tied to the steering wheel and the highway.  They could get away with a lot when I was driving.  Kids know when they have a little leeway, when mama's preoccupied, it's some kind of animal instinct they're born with.

But I remember one day when Tommy pushed it too far.

I hit the brakes, got out of the van, opened his door and told him to get out.  I told him to bend over, he was getting two good spankings.   Now, I never spanked with my hands.  Mama's hands were for lovin', not spankin'.  I usually had a wooden spoon or paddle, but on this trip, it was missing.

So I pulled off my shoe.

He bent over.

I popped him twice.  

It HURT.

Me.

We both bent over laughing.

He was wearing all his football pads and didn't feel a thing.