I don’t remember how old I was, 5th grade maybe? And it was a Wednesday.
Mechanical pencils were the “it” thing in school. And I had/have a school supply obsession.
I had this awesome pencil that I still drool over (nerd much?!) I came out of class one day I told my mom that I needed some more pencil lead because “I have like none left!”
My mother understood that to be a definitive “I have no pencil lead & can’t do my homework.” I was 11 & was learning the art of exaggeration. Apparently, my mother & I didn’t communicate well.
So, she takes me to this store near our house (it was a school supply nerd HEAVEN!) She unloads all 5 kids, buys me some lead, & we go home.
I start doing my homework & my mom says, “Are you using your new lead?”
“No, I had one small stick left & when that’s gone, I’ll add the new lead.”
BOOM! I was grounded for “lying.” That was my mom’s thing, she hated it when we lied or even if she thought we were lying.
And my parents were pretty evil about punishments. You’re mad your parents spanked you?! Puh-lease! Be grateful they did! My parents had punishments worse than spanking.
It was also the Winter Olympics & the Olympics are a huge deal at our house. We watch them every.single.night that they are on, we don’t miss a single event if we can help it.
And that Friday, Oksana Baiul was supposed to perform her famous Swan Lake routine. Don’t know who she is or what she performed? Me NEITHER! Because I wasn’t allowed to watch it. My punishment was that I had to go to my bedroom at 7 PM, no movies, no books, no toys, no nothing, & I had to write a theme on “Why Lying to my parents is wrong.”
It was terrible! My parents & siblings were all in there watching Ms. Baiul skate & I was stuck in my room. And I still am a little bitter about it. 😉 It has become a running joke among the family about me missing that routine of hers. I can’t tell you a single ice skater since her, but I remember her because I missed it, all because of a dumb pencil!
So last night, I Youtubed it. And you know what?! I did miss something amazing, so I thought I’d share it with you just in case you’d like to see it too! Then I texted my parents this: “I finally watched Oksana Baiul perform “The Swan” & yes, it was as awesome as I’ve always thought it would be.”
Writing Prompts:
1.) What are you reading?
2.) Dear Men, (an open letter…offer a word of advice, an issue you’d like to address, or a solution to a problem for the opposite sex).
3.) Show us your kitchen!
4.) Tell us about a time you were grounded…what did you do?
5.) What made you laugh this week?
It was an amazing performance, and thanx for the Youtube video. I learned a few new vocabulary words from the German commentary. 🙂
Mama Melch Most Recent Post…My Reading List
Wow! Your mom meant business! The whole “using your new lead” question seemed so harmless. Bet you didn’t even see that hammer coming down!
May Most Recent Post…An Open Letter to Men
Wow, my hat is off to your parents for not wavering! This story is even better than mine about being ALMOST banned from bible school!
Jerralea Most Recent Post…Don’t Throw Rocks
Terrific story! Thanks for sharing!
deana Most Recent Post…Dear Man (yes you)
That is an awesome memory (kinda;) Yeah, my parents were big on alternative punishments as well, and lying was a big no-no! BTW, thanks for stopping by my blog! I’m trying to stretch myself and find my voice as I write more. 🙂
Dawn Most Recent Post…Did you really just say that?