I couldn't have been more than 8yo when a few of the neighborhood kids (you know who you are) decided that in the hot Alabama summer we would get soaking wet while outside playing. Yep, but it didn't end there. After I got soaking wet, I was dared by Kenny and others to grab the electric fence. It will be fine they said.....won't hurt they said.....LIES!!  My mom came ripping out of that house to the sound of my blood curdling scream snorting fire ( not really). After she found out what had happened to me and by whom, she laid into those kids sternly!! I was thrilled of course that for once I wasn't the one in trouble. The terrified look on all of our faces said it all. One of the very few times she actually gave them some sound "advice" Didn't ever have to worry about being picked on after that! Lol

What I would give to grab that fence again soaking wet just to see you again.

When I was a small boy, Hwy 202 was not there.....you went to Anniston up the one way 10th street and back west on the one way 11th st. I was so young, this is on the cusp of my memories. Mother would spat your but, or get a hickory if you did real bad, but not much physical punishment. 

But I remember one day coming around the curb at what is now Wellborn Elementary School, I opened the door to the car while it was going around that curb. BIG MISTAKE! She screeched into what used to be the boys club parking lot, got out, got me out, and spanked me with the belt she had on good enough for me to remember 50 years later! I didn't realize at the time it was because she loved us so, and wanted to make an impression that activity was unnacceptable and dangerous.

Fast forward 45 years or so and I was visiting with my siblings. My brother who is 8 years older than I had the answer I hadn't known all those years. He told me that a couple of days earlier, I had done the same thing with a car door and THAT is what made the second one so serious. I had no idea, but he relayed the story to me about where and when and the previous incident. Apparently it didn't make enough impact, but she made SURE the second one did...LOL MAMA didn't play when it came to safety of her children! 

My mother told this story often. I would guess I was about 7 yrs. old and my brother Danny was 2 yrs older than I. We had been bickering all day (as usual). I guess poor mom had had just about enough of us that day. I don't remember exactly what she said but it had the word " damn" in it. We were in such shock that she had cursed that we just knew we had crossed her patience threshold. She told everyone that she had the best kids for about 3 days after that (of course, that's as long as we could stand not wanting to rip each other's eyeballs out) !