As the jump rope swished round and round, the school kids chanted, “Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief .. . . . “

Memories of her childhood chant troubled Frances as she and her husband Paul were expecting their first child.

She resolved to do her utmost to train well the child they were expecting soon to be born.

When Willie was born, Paul and Frances cared for him well and dedicated him to the God they served.

But Willie seemed to be possessed of perversity. As he grew into childhood, he was continually guilty of making difficult the lives of his younger brothers who had joined the family.

He would taunt them. Pinch them. Push them. Take their toys. If there was a way to make them cry or get angry, he was very perceptive to capitalize on it.

Mother Frances believed that if the Bible said it, then she should do it. When she read, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying,” (Proverbs 19:18) she acquired a flat Model T Ford belt and used it regularly on Willie’s bare bottom.

Her determination was strengthened when she read, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” (Proverbs 13:24).

Willie wasn’t sure he wanted that kind of love. When Willie took to lying, mother Frances used soap on Willie’s toothbrush to wash out his mouth. When she found that Willie tolerated the soap too well, she substituted red pepper. Red pepper did make a much stronger impression on Willie’s conscience. He hated that foul-tasting stuff !

Mother Frances measured out discipline with reasoned control.

Not so father Paul. Paul had a bad, angry temper. When he caught Willie in a lie, he beat Willie unmercifully with the handle of a hammer.

Willie was so bruised he could not comfortably sit down for three days. It was difficult for Willie to ever forgive his father for that beating.

In the context of today’s social norms, Willie was an abused child. If it becomes known that a parent spanks their child or otherwise physically disciplines them, Child Protective Services of the State of Michigan may make a sudden unannounced visit to that home with a policeman in tow and remove the child to a foster home.

Discipline of children is permitted only in the context of a non-physical exercise.

Willie did know that he was loved by both of his parents.

Father Paul built a swing for his children. Mother Frances saved a precious bit of money and sent it off with a cereal boxtop so she could give Willie a balsa glider to sail.

There were walks together in the fields and woods when the flowers and trees would be named and their differences noted.

A profound peace settled into Willie’s heart when the family gathered at evening and Father Paul played hymns with his cornet and the rest of the family sang. Willie would have missed most of that in a foster home.

There were the sightings of snakes; the capturing of flying squirrels alive to put in a cage; the cultivation of a garden that yielded both vegetables and flowers; the care and milking of goats to provide milk for the family. The goat kids and their antics were a source of amusement and delight. On balance, Willie as an adult would not choose to have been rescued and placed in a foster home. How do I know ? Willie is yours truly.