Bored Children Can Shock You!During a leadership training workshop I decided to have everyone share a "dumb" thing they did as a child. I had so many choices ... but I shared one zinger when I was 5 years old. My mom and I lived with my beloved Aunt Bernice and her husband.
This precious couple had spent an entire weekend upholstering a wing back chair. Inquisitive Kay couldn't remember what color the chair was before they stapled all the new fabric on it. I called out for someone to tell me. Impatiently I picked up a knife and slit the fabric just enough in the back part of the chair to see it had been blue; and now it was green. I was fine. Just then my sweet aunt walked in.
Oh, she was a much better person than I think I would have been. She left the punishment to my mom when she got home from work. Tell me spankings are not necessary....oh, yeah I needed that one. And I can honestly say I never slit another piece of upholstery again.
Different sophisticated business people shared their childhood goofs. But then a young innocent looking quiet mild mannered realtor told us about home on the farm. He was new to our group. Boldly he told about growing up on a hog and dairy farm in the midwest. One long summer day he, at age 9 and his older brother got bored. A sow had a new litter of pigs and they wanted to play with them but the mother pig wouldn't let them get near them.
Their four year old baby sister came up and they figured out how to get to those baby pigs. Vividly he showed us how one of them would swing her over the pig sty to distract the sow; while the other one would pick up some of the baby pigs. But wouldn't you know it... on one big swing she slipped out of her brother's hands and landed in the muddy pig sty.
We all gasped. Suddenly this mild mannered youth had a whole new look to all of us. Mother Kay had to ask him if the little sister got hurt. He said they both immediately jumped in and retrieved her. Of course she was covered in mud and scared terribly, but no other injuries. He said that after 18 years, she still calls in payback for that one day. Way to go Sis!!!
Those of you who are parents; know that children will amaze you with what they come up with to do for fun. Relax, it all works out in the end; and they'll laugh about it forever.
Our son was baffling because I had a rule that you didn't get a spanking for a first offense. He was so creative he never repeated himself. I don't think he had enough spankings to count on one hand. Some of his shockers were: pouring honey in the heat pump to watch the pretty swirls and climbing ontop of the kitchen cabinets.
One day our large giant Schnauzer started walking down our 1/2 mile dirt drive way; and our son dressed only in a diaper, joined him. We were all doing yard work and didn't notice them walking off. We yelled and looked everywhere for him. I was so devastated that I fell in a plowed field and wept so much I made mud. My daughter located him on the drive way and he came up to me and saw the mud my tears made. He was so upset at my weeping, that he kept comforting and patting me so that I wouldn't cry anymore.
From then on he always patted me with assurance while we were shopping. I mean he did this for 10 years. It ended up helping me keep up with him. He was so afraid I would fall down in the dirt and cry until my face was muddy!!!
Laugh and do yourself some real good!!! Oh, by the way....comment on the dumb stuff you and yours have done as children.
2 comments:
You crack me up!!
Oh dear.....I could write a novel on all the dumb things I did as a child. Picking my babysitter's grapfruits before they were ripe as a "joke" was one I can think.....she didn't think it was so funny and those were the days were ANYONE could and would spank you.....she popped me a good one!
My son is always doing something "creative". I'll find a pen attached to the leaf of a houseplant. A screwdriver stuck in a candelabra. A sharpie marker taped to the cupboard door with masking tape. I don't even have to ask the girls who it was that left this 'masterpiece' because it's always him. Wouldn't change a thing . . . :)
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