Discipline and Punish

Although I don't think my parents ever did anything very dramatic to teach me a lesson, there is one particular episode that remains forever imprinted on my mind.

I was five years old and it was the night before the annual Vichy Elementary Fun Run. Big day. My mom had signed up to volunteer the next morning at the registration table, and I was going to join her, being a big-helper-girl and all. At least... that's what I thought.

The specifics of the situation are still a little murky to me. Apparently, I broke something. But not just "broke something" my mom reminds me. I maliciously and spitefully cast her cow-shaped, milk pitcher to the ground. The parents say I was angry about not getting my way. So I had a fit and broke that pitcher, as if showing them the strength of my emotion would change their minds. Guess what? It didn't.

Instead, the pronouncement came: "Caroline, you can't go with your mom to the Fun Run early tomorrow. You have to stay home."

Torture.

Even as a child, before I started elementary school, my extroverted tendencies were in full force. The idea of being surrounded by hundreds of people, brimming with energy in the name of educational philanthropy and physical activity, really excited my little four foot frame. I think I also liked to be in charge of things. Needless to say, I had patiently awaited the morning of the Fun Run. The day I would fulfill my young, extroverted fantasies of directing crowds of people, manning registration tables, and pinning paper numbers to strangers’ clothing. What a nutty kid!

It may sound silly, but I remember more vividly this punishment than any I have ever received.

I remember waking up early the morning of the race, hoping that my mom and dad had forgotten the events of the night before. But my nightmare had come true. Mom calmly reminded me that I could not come with her. I still wouldn’t accept it. I screamed and cried as she pulled the old Volvo station wagon out of the garage. I ran after the car and held on to the rear view mirror (no joke.) To no avail.

This is the day I learned that I could not always get my way. And that throwing a fit just made things worse. Boy did it hurt.


PS Whoever gets the hidden grad student joke in this post wins a prize!
Speaking of grad school, I just finished my first year! It was challenging on many levels, but God was infinitely gracious and compassionate. Hallelujah!