Punishment

This post is, in part, about spankings. Please know that all four of us Rohde Boys firmly believe we have the greatest parents ever and just about the healthiest possible upbringing. I am not trying to give the impression that my folks were vicious or violent or even that they enjoyed punishing us. Only that they did punish us (almost always deservedly so), and there are some humorous memories that came from it.

When we were little, I think that one of the many good nicknames for mom would have been "The Punisher." Some people say you should never spank your children because you'll squelch their personality. Well, as Mark Lowry once said, "I'm here to tell you Momma squelched my personality all over the house!" When mom was the one doing the spanking, she came at us with a belt. And she made it clear that she'd aim for our butts, but anything we put in the way was going to get it. If we wouldn't turn around, or if we put our hands back there as protection they would get hit (and getting smacked with a belt in the hands hurts a HECKUVALOT worse than getting hit with one in the butt). It was painful. It was punishment. And it made us sorry for what we'd done and try not to ever do it again.

A good nickname for dad probably would have been "Good Try Guy." He was kind of a softie. He spanked with his hand (which doesn't hurt nearly as much as a belt). He was trying to punish us, but he was probably afraid that with his size and his strength, if he really unloaded on us we'd fly through a wall (which may have been true). So he held up a little on his spankings. I remember one time trying not to laugh through one of dad's spankings.

Of course, much of this didn't end up mattering for me very much. I didn't get in trouble that often (not to toot my own horn *toot toot*). I learned from watching my older, wiser, more mischievous brother who would get into trouble and in the process illustrate quite clearly the location of the "line" that wasn't to be crossed. Joel had to eat soap a lot growing up as punishment for talking back to mom and dad. I think he actually acquired a taste for it.


Another punishment that was "inflicted" on more than one occasion came when Joel and I got into a fight. Mom would make us stand in the middle of the living room and hug. We were required to stand there and hug for 10 minutes. For me, this was torture. Probably a worse punishment than spankings or dish soap-eating. For Joel, however, it was (or at least it appeared to be) some kind of reward. I think he enjoyed it. Before long he'd be making jokes and singing and a whole bunch of other things that were incredibly annoying for someone who was fuming mad at him.


Brothers, any other punishment stories/methods come to mind? Readers, what about you? How did/do your parents punish you?