Teen Talk

I had a conversation with Mollie the other day. I don’t know whether you would classify it as interesting, informative, terrifying or what. We were on our way home from school when she turned to me out of the blue and asked “Mom, what do you think of spanking?” Isn’t it strange how many directions your mind can go in a split second? Popping immediately to the front of my mind was,

I absolutely love it! What could be better? It’s done so much for my marriage. All my friends really love it too!

Then I realize that I am talking to my daughter! Driving into a ditch also came to mind but instead I calmly say,

“Why do you ask?”

She began, “Well some of my friends say that they still get spanked. I think that anyone 14 years old is too old to be spanked!”

Well, I don’t know, floated through my mind, my friends are in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s and they are still getting spanked and loving it. None of them have any plans to stop in the near future.

What I said was, “Expect for special circumstances, I believe spanking loses it effectiveness around age 4 or 5. And then I’m talking about a pop on the rear for things like back talk or crossing the road alone.”

“Special circumstances”, she asked, “what do you mean? Is there anything you would ever spank me for at this age?”

I thought this was a good time to let her answer. So I just raised my eyebrows and gave her a questioning look and asked “What do you think?”

“Yeah, I guess so” she answered “ I remember that look you gave me when we were watching that show where the girl climbed out her bedroom window to go off with her boyfriend. I guess that would do it.”

I just snorted and said “You got that right!”

We were quiet a while then Mollie started laughing. She said “I remember the last time you spanked me!” I had to laugh too. At about age 3 she took a big can of baby powder and powdered my entire bedroom. Bed, dresser, closet and especially the dark blue carpet! But I was a modern mother, you don’t spank children, you reason with them and give a time out whenever necessary. So I sternly explained what she had done wrong and that she was not to play with the baby powder again and to stay out of my room. I then put her in her room for a 5 minute time out. Didn’t I handle that like a modern parent? I thought so until the next day when the little devil did exactly the same thing to my room again! I decided to revert back to old fashion parent training and gave her a paddling appropriate for a 3 year old and sent her to bed early (while I had to clean the bedroom again!). The best part was the next morning. I went in to get her and the first thing she said to me was “Mommy I been tinking, I don’t tink I am going to powder your room today.” I told her I thought that that she had made a good decision. Score one for the old fashion parent!

She is probably wrong. I don’t think there is anything she would do that would cause me to spank her. I just don’t think it would ever happen. But then again if I caught her butt going out the window…