“STOP! DOWN! NOW!” is yelled across the courtyard but it sounds as if it is right in your ear. It is because you know that tone. It strikes your heart and hits all fears you hold in your nerves. It is Dad yelling.
Now Dad has many forms of yelling and punishment. But the fewer the words used, the worse it is. When Dad breaks down his punishment to fragments, exclamations and the deep toned voice that echos deep in your soul, you know it is serious. All I was doing was climbing the tree…”UNSUPERVISED!” Dad provides his point with extreme clarity. There is no arguing from here. You just have to let Dad let it out. At least Dad wasn’t yelling my name…that is the worst.
Dads tend to let things build up so during this yelling penalty Dad will often blurt out things that happened in the past…waaay in the past. “I CHANGED YOUR DIAPERS!” wait, what? And then Dad will throw out things for the future as if to impart some lessons: “YOU’LL UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU’RE OLDER!”
You retreat to a private place so no one can see your wounds from that beating of yells you just took. That is when Dad calms down and consoles you. “I yell because I care.” Dad says with genuine sentiment. Confusion settles over you as you accept a hug from Dad. No matter how many times you hear it, those one word yells cut deep. And Dad has plenty of them left in his reserve to use when necessary.
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