A story from the Porch.....🍑
I love old stories from the past and I have decided that once a week, I am going to be posting a Porch Story! I want these stories to be in my blog book for my grandkids and great grandkids to read about some day.
This weeks story is about my paternal Grandmother...."Ma Bertha"
I hope you all enjoy...
"A Peach Limb and A Whole Lot of Love."
Growing up, we (grandkids, siblings, cousins) didn't need time-outs or long talks about our behavior.
We had my grandmother..... "Ma Bertha."
If we were cutting up or acting like we didn't have good sense, she didn't go searching for a solution....she would look right at us and say:
"Go out there and cut me a peach limb." There were many times I wished the old peach trees would disappear!!
Let me tell you....that walk to the yard would change your whole attitude real quick. We knew what was coming and because I knew what it was, I would always take baby steps out to the peach tree and back.
The funny thing is, you didn't dare come back with a tiny limb. If you did, she would send you right back out there to get a limb that "meant business." You know what I mean?
Usually it wasn't just one of us, but the whole crew that would end up getting a couple of licks with that peach limb.
Not out of anger...Not out of meanness...But out of a kind of love that believed you needed to be set straight before the world tried to do it for you.
Looking back, I know that it wasn't about the switch itself. It was about respect and about learning right from wrong. It was about knowing somebody loved you enough not to let you be undisciplined.
These lessons have stayed with me a whole lot longer than any kind of "gentle reminder" ever would have.
If any of us got caught laughing because someone got an extra lick, then this was not a happy moment for any of us. We would all end up getting another lick and it was not comfortable.
Do I have any scars from those old peach limbs? No...not a single one.
What I do have is a bundle of memories tied up with deep East Texas roots, front porch lessons, and a grandmother named Ma Bertha who believed children ought to know how to behave. I say front porch lessons, because this is the very place where all the action would take place. I'll never, ever forget that Front Porch...
Those peach limbs didn't leave marks on my skin (well...maybe for about 15 min.)....but they sure left lessons in my heart. I now remember how Grandparents helped shape who we became.
Funny how life works!!!
The things that felt so big back then becomes stories that we laugh about now. And the people we once feared disappointing becomes the very people we miss the most..
My grandmother...Ma Bertha...was definitely the kind of grandmother that you rarely see these days. She was old-fashioned to the core and strong-minded. She was raised in a generation that believed in hard work, respect and telling things exactly like they were. She didn't feel like we (grandkids) deserved to be entertained every minute of the day and she sure did not tolerate backtalk. She loved us and she loved her peach trees!! lol.
Believe me...I never see a peach tree that I don't think of her.
Shug...💛
* I should add that my grandfather and his first wife had 11 kids and when his first wife passed, he married my grandmother (Ma Bertha) and they had 4 kids. I feel that Ma Bertha had plenty of experience in discipling kids. She knew how to discipline, but she also had the sweetest heart.
Hi Shug.....I am so happy you had a wonderful Mother's Day. You deserved it! Oh wow, a blog book with stories sounds WONDERFUL. Where would you have that put together? I love peaches but I would not love Ma Bertha's peach branches. Nope. I would definitely be hiding in the bushes. ha ha ha That was quite a memory, Shug. Did you use peach branches to teach your own kids? I never did and they don't with their kids, either. But everyone is different and Ma Bertha did what she felt was right. God bless her, wherever she now resides on the other side of life. Great post, Shug! Susan
ReplyDeleteOh Shug. Your stories brought back memories and not very good ones. My Mother was a firm believer that if you spared the rod you spoiled the child. She took it to an extreme that would leave welts and black and blue marks for weeks...a Doctor asked her once how I was so bruised and she replied "she is mouthy". If that happened today the child would have been taken from the home. I did my best to protect my brothers and my Father never laid a hand or a lilac switch on us but he never stopped the abuse either often he would say don't hit them on the face or arms where it will show. So it goes...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your Ma Bertha was a very strong figure in you and your family's lives.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your discipline made you stronger and more forgiving than Far Side of Fifty's life.
Perhaps things would have been different for me if I had had siblings and extended family in my life. It really was different being an only child. Of course I wasn't perfect ... far from it ... but the dynamics were much different.
Thanks for sharing this and I look forward to the next installment. I have started a running list for my own "stories from the porch" for my kids, and grands. Going to add it to the journal you gave me.
(((hugs)))
Sue
Great story to have written down. She loved you and you knew it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story and great idea for you be writing them all down.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
In my family we called these stories, "Little Girl Stories." Sister and I would ask our mother to tell us about when she was our age. This one fits that description very well.
ReplyDeleteA story a week; I love it! Nowadays if someone sees a mom or dad hit their kid in the store, they can call the cops! I have seen this happen! But this no-spanking rule does not seem to have helped these last generations, if you ask me! Children need limits. And I think the key is not to spank in anger, but to do it thoughtfully, like your grandma did. It seems that lately, too many kids have no respect for their elders and think they can get away with anything.
ReplyDeleteYour memory is such a blessing! I love the idea you're preserving these snippets, wrapped in love, for future generations. I'm thinking Ma Bertha's up there bustin' her buttons right now.
ReplyDeleteI love story time. This story so reminds me of my childhood too. Ours was a olive switch. Discipling God's way was our our parents and grandparents did it. A little pain really helps the attitude. I love that you will be sharing you stories. We've been doing that lately , as the kids want to know more about us.
ReplyDeleteYou have a wonderful way with words and your illustration are great. Looking forward to the next one. (I had an Aunt Bertha)
I am looking forward to your Porch stories.
ReplyDeleteMy mom used a belt on me. Hard enough that I had welts. She would blame my behavior, that caused her to do it. Oh well, I survived.
ReplyDeleteI never spanked my boys but I did have " the look" which they called my mean mommy look. All I had to do, was LOOK at them. 👀
Sounds like your grandma knew how to discipline with love. That's the way it was back then and I believe that's the way it should be today. Children that grow up with discipline grow up with respect. Respect for others and respect for themselves. A switch is not a beating it's a quick lesson that stings and a lesson you remember even when you're a grown up. Like you remember it with love, you had a grandma that loved you and wanted you to be the best person you could be 🥰
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ReplyDeleteWhat a great story. This could have been about my one aunt. She would do the same thing with my cousins and they too, better not come back with a wimpy limb.
ReplyDeleteThere are some children out here today that could really learn the lesson of a peach limb from Ma Bertha, Shug. Oh, how I loved your story, and what a great memory to pass on to the younger generation! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteGreat that you're gonna start telling porch stories. Hope you're having a good spring, I'm just getting back to the online world after a little break. Was nice! Did you ever get a new camera?
ReplyDeleteGlad you have it written down for your book. Did you impart the same discipline on your children?
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this story. My hubby's grandmother, "Nanny Martin", was exactly like your Ma Bertha! And yes, they had a peach tree too, and those peach limbs got used on her four daughters (one of which was my mother in law), and then later on her grandsons, my hubby being the one probably she had to teach the most. He lived next door and was in her care most of the time while his mother worked at her own beauty shop there on the property. Yes, he has some similar memories attached to those peach limbs. Oh, his Granddaddy used them too when necessary...and there are some definite stories about that. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I love it. My mother used a yardstick on me, but it broke and that made her more angry! I do remember my Daddy having to use the belt on me a couple of times, but I was a quick learner and didn't let that happen too much. Ouch! I'm glad you are writing your stories down for your children and grandchildren. They will treasure them, I am sure.
ReplyDeleteI received this same treatment, but from my mom. I didn't get to pick my own switch!
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