Did you ever have someone in your life do something mean in the name of teaching you a lesson? I understand the school of hard knocks works, but it always seems a little harsh when family members are the professors. Years ago a high-ranking guy in my religion of origin came to town, and though I don’t recall all of his presentation, one story comes to mind often. He wanted to go to a dance as a young man and asked his mother what chores he would have to do to get permission. She gave him a list of jobs and told him that if those tasks were finished by a certain time and with proper attention to detail he could go. He worked all day with great industriousness, careful to be thorough, and, when late afternoon came, reported that he was finished and ready to go dancing. Then came the part of the sto
ry that still bothers me. His mother told him he could not go. Not because he had shirked any of his responsibilities, but because sometimes life will be disappointing and young people should learn to live with disappointment. I’m sure I was supposed to marvel at the wisdom of mothers who produce great men, but all I’ve ever been able to muster is anger at how ludicrous and cruel that was. I don’t and didn’t get it. In Babushka’s Doll, Tasha’s grandma teaches her a lesson the hard way. Which is apparently not the nice way.http://www.amazon.com/Babushkas-Doll-Patricia-Polacco/dp/0689802552
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