Paul’s Rules

I’m not sure who had more rules-my mom or the Baptists.

She had an identical twin sister. My mom was Paulene; her sis was Darlene. Deb and I often called her “Paul.”

This was Life According to Paul’s Rules:

1. Housework and laundry first, then playtime.
2. If you played with a toy, you had to put it back in exactly the same spot. And it better be clean.
3. No neighborhood friends could play inside the house.
4. Deb and I could play in the garage, backyard, or the empty lot.
5. No clothes or wet towels allowed on the floor, only in the hamper.
6. Make your bed every day.
7. Help set the table for dinner and then do the dishes.
8. All silverware must be polished before any holiday gatherings.
9. If you were hungry after bedtime, Paul had flawless hearing. The minute the cupboard door opened or the cookie jar lifted, you were DOA.
10. Because I said so!

Remember, we were still kids, not even in middle school yet. I often thought she missed her calling as a Drill Sergeant, but all that early discipline paid off in the long run.

Angel Watching Over Me

I was a sickly kid. Any virus or bacteria living in McKinley Elementary School found a home in me. Deb and I both remember how grateful we were to see Mom’s caring side, which was the only good thing about being sick.

Because of strep throat, I often had high fevers and would be confused. I remember waking my parents up and insisting they take me to the garage because a pony was waiting for me there. In the middle of the night, they walked me to the garage to show me there was no pony. It was the only time I remember sleeping with them in their bed because they were worried.

My mom called as soon as the doctor’s office was open. My dad had already left for work. While she made the call, I remember looking up and seeing an angel floating above me in a beautiful, flowing white dress. She smiled at me and sent this message: Marilyn, you will be okay. And she repeated it a second time.

Mom came in and told me she had made an appointment with the doctor for later that morning. I told her about the angel watching over me. She hugged me and told me, You are going to be okay. Maybe my mom had some angel in her after all.

Goodbye Tonsils

The bouts with strep throat continued, and the doctor thought it would be best for me to have my tonsils removed. Just like any kid would be, I was terrified to have surgery. Although my parents couldn’t agree to a pony, they did agree to a dog as a reward for having the surgery.

I made it! The new addition to the family was Little Dipper. Paul picked him out and surprised me when I came home from school. She told me he was a French Chihuahua. She must love me. She didn’t just buy me a chihuahua, she got me a French one! For some time, I thought that might be possible since he didn’t respond to any commands in English. But he wasn’t French. I discovered it’s more likely Dipper was a Black Mask Piebald Chihuahua.

I’m pretty sure my brother took this picture of Mom, Dad, Deb, Me, and Dipper on Christmas Eve. Why my parents never thought to take a picture of Wayne, Deb, and me together still remains a sad mystery. Did you notice that Deb and I have twin dresses on? Not how a baseball player wants to be immortalized. Think about how Dipper must have felt.

Even the Pets Had Rules In Paul’s House

1. Dipper was not allowed to roam freely in the house.
2. He could either be in “his” closet, the backyard, or the garage.
3. Romberg, Debbie’s bunny, was not allowed out of his cage when Mom and Dad weren’t home.
4. We had a canary named Chirper, confined to the basement, who daily sang a lonesome song.
5. Dipper and Chirper were my in-home support system. I confided in them when I had a chance. After all, we were in the same confinement together. Guess that makes me an animal empath.

As my sister and I experienced, my mom thought of closets as having multi-purposes.

I constantly felt her pain and thought I was the cause.

Tough Cookie Tip: I believe any house rules should put the people who are living there first, not the dust. They should welcome independent thinking, promote love, friendship, loyalty, acceptance, truthfulness, and value one another as family. How about having fun together? Paul’s Rules created a structure that everybody felt better whenever they left.

Copyright © 2022-2025 Marilyn K Fuller. All Rights Reserved.

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