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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Bold (emotionally) (08/30/07)
“But, Mom….!”

“I’m sorry Missy, but it’s time to go to bed.” Missy’s mother entered the bedroom, crossing over to where her daughter sat.

“I don’t WANT to! I want to stay up and finish my game!” the petulant, 8-year old retorted.

“Honey, you have school tomorrow. You’re already getting fussy, and if you stay up any later you’ll have a really hard time getting a good night’s sleep. Now come on, it is TIME to go to bed.” Mom said a little more forcibly.

“You’re always telling me what to do!” Missy complained.

“That may be so, but, at least I always try to give you a choice about it, and you know what the choice is when it comes to going to bed.” Her mother hoped reason would gain her daughter’s cooperation.

“Yeah, I know.” Missy recited, sarcastically, “I can go to bed WITH a whipping, or WITHOUT a whipping!”

“That’s right.” Mom said, casually, as she turned down the bed linens.

Missy had always chosen the more reasonable of the two choices when confronted with this ultimatum; however, tonight, she thought, would be a good time to test her mother’s resoluteness.

With a look of defiance, Missy proclaimed, “Then I choose WITH a whipping!” Her attitude changed to one of smugness, relying on how many times her mother had shown her love for her before, frequently to the point of self-sacrifice.

Her mother turned to look her directly in the eye. All of a sudden, the light bantering had turned into a vital confrontation. She tried to ease her daughter back to the safety of changing her mind and making the other, less painful, decision by saying, “Now, come on, honey. You know I don’t lie to you. If you make that choice, then you WILL get a whipping. Now, come on, just get into bed.” She smiled wanly at her daughter.

Missy, however, remained defiant. She stated bluntly, “No. If you want me to go to bed, you will HAVE to whip me.” The statement held the contempt of a dare.

Her mother made one last, weary attempt to reach her, “Honey, you must go to bed. Now, either go to bed with a whipping or without a whipping. It’s your choice. It’s not that difficult of a decision.

“With a whipping.” Missy stated clearly.

“All right then,” her mother said, shaking her head slowly from side to side. “Come on.” The whipping consisted of three mild, but firm, smacks from the mother’s bare hand to the girl’s bottom, through her clothing.

Missy cried softly, looking up at her mother, with disbelief in her tear-filled eyes. “You whipped me,” she declared.

“Yes, Missy. I won’t lie to you. I love you. If I tell you I will do something, then I will do what I say. Honey, you’ll have plenty of other people who will lie to you without caring. I want you to always know that you can rely on me to tell you the truth.” She pulled the covers up over her daughter and hugged her as she tucked them around her shoulders. “Honey, your hurt pride will heal the very next time you make a good choice. I’m not sure that I could ever fix a breech between my word and your trust in me. One day you will understand just how important this is.” She turned on the nightlight, putting the overhead light out as she left the room. “Good night, honey. See you in the morning. I love you.”

She immediately went to her own room. She sat on the edge of the bed with her face buried in her hands. Through her tears she silently prayed, “Oh, Lord, forgive me if I have made a bad choice in this decision. Show me a better way, in Your eyes. Guide me in this awesome and daunting task of parenting. I need your guidance and wisdom in raising this precious daughter you have given me. I yield my heart to you. For it’s in your name I pray. Amen.”
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Jennifer Johnson
09/06/07
The humility shines through in this one. Having children is the most important, heartbreaking and joyful experience. Praises for the words of wisdom to the child. Great ending with humility before the Lord.
Anothervoice Sunstar
09/07/07
Thank you so much for the comment. : ) This is my first entry for any writing of this type - most of my writing is just letters to say, "hi". I greatly appreciate your taking the time to let me know this reached you in some way.
Allison Egley 
09/09/07
This was really good. I enjoyed it a lot. I could sense the tension (I'm not quite sure that's the correct word) the mother was feelings.

Just a little "FYI" You really aren't supposed to comment on your own story, at least not until after the winners are announced. This way, if a judge would accidentally see the comments, it remains anonymous. Don't worry about it though. It's your first time. :)

GREAT first entry. Come join us on the boards for "hinting" (Usually some time on Monday) where you can lave a hint about which entry is yours to get more comments. :)
http://www.faithwriters.com/Boards/phpBB2/index.php
Janice Cartwright
09/12/07
I think this is exceptional for a first entry. You used a few conversation tags, but not always, which is good. The child acted boldly wrong and the mother boldly right, so you pretty well covered the topic with both. Good job!