My Mom's Intolerance

I have low tolerance for bad behavior. Maybe its because was beat up as a kid. By my mom. The woman never, ever entertained rudeness, bad mouthing or talking back. Not once, not ever. You did that and you would have no reason to ever do that again. Even my friend from next door was not exempt. If he came hanging out and wanted to be in good books with mama, he had to act right. It was so funny seeing the neighborhood 'first body' looking all sheepish and squirmish at the sight of my ma'. Always gave me ammunition next time i needed to insult him. And I did.
Nobody misbehaved when they came to my mama's house. She could slap the black off a Nubian in a jiff, and i mean, old school, you-better-be-near-something-to-hang-on-to kind of smack. Yaani, even if you were all testosteroned up and stuff. Bilaz! She had the hand to reboot sanity. Pap. Like the time my sister thought it was ok to hang out with her friends and come home after dark. Woi!
Amazingly, she would smack you then kiss and cuddle you right then assuring you that she was sure from how you were feeling, you were not going to have endure that again. She was right. For the most part. For the most part because i had a younger brother that just didn't get it. So he really got it. Bad.
My one dilemma always was, mama wouldn't put the smacking on the smaller guy with you standing over there thanking sweet heavens you survived. Nooooo, .... you had to answer for your 'lack of leadership' that allowed the young buck to get in trouble. Even when the little brat had dared you with a kitchen knife if you tried to stop him (Please don't ask how come we could handle knives. It just happened). You loved and hated mama at the same time. But then again, that was my ma'.  I guess that's the irony that is moms.
The woman had low tolerance for nonsense. I think she smacked it into me during one of those 'mama moments' Smackdown.
She could not understand children throwing tantrums. She had no 'Opraish' innate capacity to endure harrassment from a little 2 year old that was just feeling like sharing her foulness all around. She knew how to pick the little thing up. Look at it in the eye, then put in on her lap gently with her hand on those exposed thighs. She would then proceed to weave a pinch exceptionally intended for maximum bite on the kiddo.
Trust me, its one of the funniest things you will ever see. I laughed my guts out watching the reaction. Here is this little thing yelling and screaming and throwing things about. Wreaking havoc and causing mayhem. Then kid gets picked up, looked at in the eye, and you can see the arrogant defiance on those 'angelic' eyes, then mama goes for the pinch. Fast, clean, crisp and precise. Pause. Kid stares straight into her eyes. Has no idea what just happened. Not sure what to do or say. Cry or try and understand the intense burning sensation and the smiling face looking at her at the same time. Kid is thinking. Am I hurting or ... ? What'swrong with this picture? Oh! Priceless. Confused kid? Nothing beats it!
And that would be the end of the problem.  Eight minutes later, the 3year old brain registers what just happened. But by then, the brat can't tell how to respond since it all seems nice and dandy and my ma is cuddling it lovingly. Kid looks like she just had a lemon slice though.... Can't cry, she being loved on, and yet can't laugh, because it hurts.
So i got smacked. She had this saying from her family back then. They used to say. When someone starts acting stupid. Walk up to them, and slap them. Hard. Infact so hard, it will stun them from their stupidity. I'm not sure about that, might get you an assault charge, but she certainly did believe in the power of pain to correct foolish behavior once and for all.
Mama taught me to be responsible. She always said the buck stopped with me. I was the older of the brothers, and nothing was supposed to go wrong if i was around. I had to know how to look out for people. I had to learn to cook and clean, at a young age. I had to learn to win, and step up. It wasn't up to anyone, it was always up to me. Probably why i became a leader at a very young age, and why leadership seems to fall on my shoulders everywhere i go. And i mean literally everywhere.
As i grew into teenage, i didn't like her as much. I began to notice her failings, she had some beliefs that i didn't subscribe to. There were times she sounded angry, and maybe even unjustified in her anger sometimes.
She wasn't wearing the 90's fashion. She was still in the 70's. She'd grown up then. I thought she could have done better at other areas of her life. Maybe she wasn't interested. As for me, I wanted to be with girls. To win and impress girls. Dozens of them.
In March, fifteen years ago, she fell ill. And her health never got better from then on.
In the course of her bitter struggle with her illness, she woke me up one night. I was the only one with her at home. She said she was afraid. That satan wanted her soul. She shook and trembled in the night cold. She asked me to pray. Something she had never done before. I did.
That night, I led my mom to Jesus. A few weeks later, she passed away in her sleep.

It's been many years. With many memories, some good some bad.
But with the day done, My mama loved me, was proud of me, and refused to tolerate mediocrity from me. It made me a good man. The man i am today.
Maybe you need to think about your mom?

I'm just sayin...