When I was growing up, there was one punishment worse than a spanking.
It was reserved for the pet peeve of my mother –
if she heard a bad word come out of any of her children, the culprit was in for an old-fashioned mouth washing.
These were a threat until I moved out of the house when I turned 18.
The last one I received at home was when I was 17.
No matter how old or young the culprit, the procedure was always the same.
It started when I came home from school
. Normally, the second I walked in the door, I was on the phone with one of my friends.
My mother usually worked until 5pm so I usually had a few hours home alone with my brother and sister.
But this day, my mother came home early and heard me say the F-word to one of my girlfriends over the phone.
All she had to do was look at me and I knew what to expect.