Dan and the Cookie Sheet

It was around 1961. Dan, my oldest brother, had gotten a report card that was not up to my father's expectations. His punishment was 4 hours of homework a night (even if you didn't have homework - my dad was certain there was something he could do to improve his grades), no television, phone calls or friends until the weekend. Dan was a social butterfly, so this was particularly hard on him.
This particular evening Dan was sitting at the table in the breakfast nook off the kitchen. He had his school work spread out in front of him. Mom and I were in the kitchen. Mom was doing the dishes and I was trying to help - in my mind at least. And Dan was complaining. As usual.
"All you ever want to do is crucify me!", was the phrase that made my mom flip. She was drying a cookie sheet when she charged into the breakfast nook and hit Dan over the head with said cookie sheet.
After the sound of tin hitting hard head, there was complete silence. I was stunned. Then I started to cry because I thought my mother had killed my brother. Mom was surprised that she had hit Dan and Dan was amazed that she had hit him with the cookie sheet.
Then they both started to laugh. Dan was unhurt (remember the 'hard head' comment?) but the cookie was bent. It looked as though someone had been hit over the head with it.
Go figure.
I don't remember anything more about that evening, but years later the tale of the cookie sheet reared it's ugly head. Dan was leaving for his mission in Argentina. The whole family had been asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting. I spoke first, then Mom, Daddy and Danny. When Danny got up he pulled the cookie sheet out of its hiding place under the podium and proceeded to tell the congregation about how my mother tried to kill him via cookie sheet. It was still bent in the shape of Dan's head. The congregation laughed while Mom tried to sink into her chair.
Dan explained how grateful he was to parents who demanded good things from him. He was also grateful for the discipline he was given. He realized that it's easier for parents to ignore rather than to act. And sometimes the action required was radical. He was unhurt by the cookie sheet but Mom gained his attention.
Dan has turned out to be a successful, happy man married to his college sweetheart and parent to 8 children. He has a degree in teaching and is a translator for the army. The cookie sheet incident has long ago been dismissed, but the lesson learned was eternal.