Irish Mammy Sayings: Wait ‘til your father gets home!

As a child my siblings and I would test my mother’s patience daily. You could usually gauge the level of punishment or anger depending her reaction. Being told to “cop on” or to “behave” were usually the first warnings signs. These both meant you still had a little wiggle room to push the bad behaviour up a notch and the repercussions wouldn’t be too severe.

The last three stages of knowing you were in trouble were as follows:

Being called by my full name – Raymond (instead of Ray).
Being instructed on the count of three to cease with said bad behaviour.
The threat of the dreaded wooden spoon!

If the above failed, she had a fall back plan. It was my mother’s nuclear button and one that was never meant to be used. The dreaded words of, “Wait ’til your father gets home” were very effective. As a child five minutes can be an eternity, so waiting a few hours to be given out to – that was torture! During this time of self-reflection my creative little mind would try to conjure up outlandish ideas to avoid confrontation. Would a five year old get away with flying to Italy? Maybe live off my pocket money for a bit? Perhaps I could become a cobbler?

Additional Info:

Sizes: A4 (210mm x 297mm) and A3 (297mm x 420mm). All prints are digitally printed to 189gsm Archival Matte paper with the option of single mount framing for both the A3 & A4 prints. All frames are handcrafted locally only using traditional hand tools with no machinery. The timber is sustainably sourced in Leinster. Frames are only available in Ireland.

Sizes

A4 Print, A3 Print, A4 Single Mount Frame (Black), A4 Single Mount Frame (White), A3 Single Mount Frame (Black), A3 Single Mount Frame (White)

Color

Green