I love this story that my mom Frieda is sharing today!
When I was four and my sister was only three, our family was very poor, though as children we didn’t realize it. This was between the Great Depression and the Second World War, and my Dad preached at a small mission in South Dallas and did whatever work he could find, which sometimes wasn’t much. Just before Christmas that year, Mother decided to make some of her famous lemon meringue pies, and sell them to get a little money to buy us each a present or two.
Imagine my mother making all those meringue pies without even a rotary hand mixer. She set all the pies out on the kitchen table to cool.
My sister and I were romping around the kitchen, which would have been the warmest room in the house since the oven was on. We started throwing up and trying to catch a rubber pig, one of those you squeeze and it squeals, probably one of our baby brother’s toys. I threw the pig up, and to my horror–of course you guessed it—it landed squarely in the middle of a beautiful lemon meringue pie.
Mother probably came to check on us when things got too quiet in the kitchen. “Sunny threw the pig in the pie,” I hastily exclaimed! I think little Sunny was too scared to protest, and she got a good spanking.
Jump forward two or three years. I remember very well one day when Mother was washing my hair, I said ever so casually, “Mother, I’m sure it doesn’t matter now, but you know that time Sunny threw the rubber pig in the lemon pie? Well, actually, that was me that did it!”
“Oh, so you don’t think it matters? Well, you will see that it still matters!”
My sister had been so small that she didn’t even remember the occurrence, but after living with my guilty conscience that long, my spanking was a great relief!
I’m linked with Women Living Well, and On Your Heart Tuesdays.
Wow! I don’t think that, as a mother, I would’ve still punished my child after that amount of time had passed. But, I guess it showed you that it certainly did still matter. and I can’t be sure – maybe I would have some wisdom at that point that I don’t currently have. Or insight. (It’s always easy to say what you would or wouldn’t do if….)
Sometimes getting punished and being able to move on IS a lot more comfortable than living with your conscience! Glad you finally ‘fessed up!
Lol! You have a good conscience. It sounds like it was a very important pie.
I love this story! What amazes me is that you were only 4 when it happened, yet you still remembered it (then and now).
It’s funny that you shared this story today, because my oldest daughter just confessed that she and the next brother down used to tell lies about the *next* brother down just to get him in trouble. Something about wanting to get him back for being mean to them!
Ha ha ha … So pleased you’re recording all of these memories, Frieda!
Great story on being honest! You lived with it for 2-3 years?! I can understand why that spanking would’ve been a relief 🙂
to this day i remember the spanking i got after i confessed that I had done something, not my brother, and i had let him take the blame. it STILL stays with me: “if you did it, you own up to it. we are responsible for our own actions.” it stuck with me so much, i find myself saying it to my own children when they try the (obvious) fibs to get out of telling the truth….
I love this cute story!
Being firm with kids does reap its rewards. I am learning that if I don’t teach them a lesson the first time, I will have 4 or more chances to get it right.
So save time and do it right the first time.
🙂
I don’t know if anyone will read this now, but last night one of my daughters said, “Mom, I liked your story, but you needed to change one thing–you said you were throwing up a rubber pig!” (Gales of laughter.) She suggested I should have said “tossing up.” I wonder if anyone else noticed. She read it on her Blackberry, where she only sees a few words at a time. That may have made that particular wording stand out more.
@Mom Ha ha that did occur to me but I thought it was funny so I left it. 🙂 Also after reading it through it was obvious what you meant.
Well, funny is great, but I don’t mean to look ridiculous. (Glad you enjoyed it, though).
That is a cute story!!