Thanks to Facebook, I saw my17 year old Mariah's post this afternoon, "So trying to walk out on the ice today probably wasn't one of my smartest ideas lol." She was at her dad's house which is on a lake.
I post: "MARIAH!"
She responds: "It's fine lol I was holding into the boat, I caught myself before my whole body went in."
Me: "DO NOT do that again ... or mommy WILL spank you!"
Her: "hahaha okayyyy. That is if u can catch me (;"
Funny. She's right, I could never catch her, but I will catch her off guard.
"Brooke, let's go, we're going to Eric's house because I'm going to spank Mariah." Brooke was an excited box full of chatter the whole way over there.
The more I thought about her recent stunt of climbing on an overhang two stories high, then testing the ice on a lake ... really??
Brooke is going on and on how smart mom's are and to never mess with a mom ... a million thoughts are going through my mind: My daughter is testing ice on a lake? What is she thinking? My "DO NOT do that again" holds the same power as "Thou shalt not!" She thinks she is too old for me to spank her? I have to leave a reminder in her memory for the next time she tests unsafe boundaries which feels like a new pattern for her.
Mariah is in her room at Eric's, I tell him what she did, and that I'm going to spank her. He laughs. Mariah comes down, she had a package she ordered on line delivered to our home that I gave her and while I was hugging her, we were cheek to cheek in a loving embrace I'm explaining to her how unsafe the ice is, how if she slipped in she may not know where the hole is to get back out, and that's how you drowned. She is listening to me in a warm embrace and promises she won't do it again and I kiss her cheek.
Mariah turns around to hug Brooke goodbye when, WHACK!!!! I cracked her on the butt!
She turns and looks at me stunned, wide-eyed, like she was 5 years old again.
Very seriously I say, "I don't have to catch you and you are never too old for mommy to spank. I meant when I said stay off the ice!" I can see her emotions going from stunned to her feelings being hurt. Just like when she was little.
I hugged her and told her I love her, but to not do that again.
I can count on one hand how many times I have spanked her in life, she is such a good girl.
I mean it when I say there is no place that they could go that I wouldn't go after them and they are never too old for a spankin'.
The next time she wants to be a daredevil and tests a questionably unsafe boundary, I hope she remembers that I am not beyond driving to her and spanking her ... and I hope she thinks twice.
