Siepsop-braaiboud!

Dear KuierKos Family,

I always have to laugh when the kids look at us with those serious faces and say,“You guys are so strict!”Strict? Honestly, I don’t know where these children get this idea. They’ve never had a hiding. “Time-out” is about as harsh as it gets. I always tell them, “You have no idea what punishment is.”

Those of us who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s… we know. We can all tell a story or two about die belt, die pantoffel, or the moeg gepraat. From a young age, you just knew - don’t push your parents. Not because of a long explanation, but because of that look. You know the one. That look that could stop you mid-sentence, mid-step, sometimes even mid-life decision. And if the look didn’t work? Out came the wooden spoon. When you were small, that hou op die boud felt like the end of the world. As you got older, the methods changed. Maybe the spoon didn’t leave the same impression anymore, but there was always something waiting in the wings. And then… the ultimate threat: “Just wait until your father gets home.'

”Sho. Sho. Sho. A tired father walking into a house where kids didn’t listen to their mother? You know - hier kom groot kak! At some point, I think parents just got so fed up they handed the responsibility over to the school. And did they hand it over. In the Erasmus family, we got it double, we were sent to boarding school. For the girls, there was no physical punishment. Instead, you got “kolle” on a sheet. Reach ten, and your going-home-weekend was gone. You were stuck inside, studying while everyone else had fun. But for the boys? That was a completely different ball game. No holding back. The sambok came out. There was even a strange kind of competition, who could show off the bluest bruises afterwards. Almost like bragging rights. And the teachers? They took it upon themselves to “build a nation.” My maths teacher, for example, had a special relationship with her old wooden compass / hout passer. After every maths test, it was hell. The biggest joke is that I still can’t do maths.

So when our kids say we’re strict… I can’t help but smile. Until next time, keep laughing, keep remembering and keep those stories alive.

Warm regards,
Marnella & Andreas