It was through Sunday School that my mother ended up hiring Monica to babysit for me. On one Sunday a few weeks after I turned ten, Monica caught me using a dirty word (“asshole”). Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have said something that bad in Sunday School but Johnny Watson hit me when no one was looking and quickly retreated beyond striking distance. In an angry moment, I told him off good in a soft whisper. Alas, Monica’s sharp ears picked up the transgression and I was immediately sent to Mrs Wiseman’s office. As always after a spanking, Mrs Wiseman reported the matter to my mother when she came later to pick me up. Actually, she had Monica tell Mother exactly what had happened before adding an account of my spanking. All of the others had left by then and it was just the four of us in Mrs Wiseman’s office. I found myself looking at the ground with a very red face throughout the conversation. After listening to Monica and Mrs Wiseman, Mother said,

“I want to thank both of you for responding so promptly to this kind of behavior which Daniel knows is completely unacceptable. One of my strictest rules at home is the rule against foul language. It’s even more serious to use such language in church.