[denisea]

Funny as always, Bumper. I also remember my parents saying....

• Go ask your Mother (father)?
• Just wait until your Father gets home!
• That's it no ________ for you.
• You're grounded.
• If you two don't stop fighting, I'm going to _________.

The last one reminds me of a story that my sister, Mom and I were just recently reminiscing about....

My sister is 4.5 years younger than me. We were typical siblings, fighting constantly in public and only getting along when there was nobody around. So as one might expect, car rides regardless of how short or long they were resulted in fighting, which I know drove my parents crazy.

On this particular day, Mom was driving the two of us back from town.... some afterschool activity, I think. Anyway, as was typical, my sister and I, who were both still in grade school, start fighting with each other in the car. Can't even remember what about.... I'm sure it was something stupid. As was also typical, Mom comes out with her classic line:

"If you two don't stop fighting, so help me Hannah, I'm going to stop this car right here and the two of you are going to get out and can walk home."

Aside: Does anyone know who the heck "Hannah" is? Or where the expression, "so help me Hannah" comes from? My mother always used it and it's always baffled me.

Now, of course, my sister and I are both thinking:

"Yeah, right. She says that all the time and never even stops the car. Even if she stops the car she'll never make us actually get out and walk home. She'll never do it."

So we continue fighting.

Apparently, Mom wasn't having a good day. Her patience had either run out or she had finally decided to teach the two of us a lesson. Because true to her word, she not only stopped the car, she actually made us get out and walk home. Of course, once out of the car, the fighting continued briefly as the two of us were now fighting over who was to blame for our current predicament. All the while thinking that Mom, the old softy, would never really make us walk all the way home and would soon come back to get us. Mind you it was at least 3 miles from our house. (And no, I'm not exaggerating.) Were we ever wrong.... my sister and I had to walk the entire way home, arriving just before dark.

I imagine if she had done this today, she would run the risk of being arrested for abandonment or endangering a minor or something of that nature. Funny how some things have changed, while others have remained the same.