I lived in New Jersey all my life. I had a younger sister named Alex. At the time this happened, she was 9 and I was 13, in 1962.
My mother was always pretty carefree. She never usually cared what me and my sister did. My father got sick of it. He divorced my mother the summer before I turned 12 and we never saw him again. My mom sort of became an alcoholic. But she never hit us or anything while she was drunk. She actually never hit me, until this one day came.
It was late October, and I’d turned 13 a month ago. My sister and I were dressing up in our Halloween costumes. That day, we had noticed that my mother wasn’t feeling too well, that she seemed kind of in a bad mood, and she would yell at us, for things she never did before. We left in a hurry to go get our candy, hoping that she would be in a better mood when we got back.
We got back and she helped us undress, then she put my Alex’s pyjamas on, while I put mine on myself. Then I heard her lecturing my sister, then Alex yelled back. I got goose bumps. Then two seconds after, Alex yelled back, I heard a loud smack and Alex screamed.
Then my mother said, “Usually I’d let you get away with that, but things are going to change now, you are going to learn to be good, or I will teach you how to be, just like that.” Then she put the covers over her, and headed towards my room.
I jumped into my bed, and she came over and said: “Tyler? Did you hear what I just told your sister? Tyler? I know you’re not asleep. Look at me.” I don’t know why, but I didn’t answer her.
She gave me a big kiss, then went to the door and said: “Since I know you are still awake, I want you to know that things are going to change, and tomorrow, you’re going to be in for it, I’m putting my belt on the hook in the kitchen, and if you mess up, I’ll put you over the chair in there and lick you a few times.”
I shivered at the sound of hearing that. I didn’t know if she was for real or not. The next day, she told us to sit up for breakfast. I argued back at her, and told her that we always had breakfast in the living room and to bring it to us.
She screamed and said: “Do you remember what I said last night? Well, if you’re not in here in five seconds, I’m going to do it. One, two, three…”
I jumped up and grabbed Alex and ran to the kitchen. We ate breakfast in silence, then headed off for school. This day at school, I killed my normal day, I grabbed my friend Jimmy and Matt and we headed to the bathroom and smoked a cigarette. We had only done that once before at school, and we weren’t caught either – but this time we were.
The teacher that caught us was a 6th grade teacher that I had the year before (I was in 7th now). He rushed us down to the office and sat us with the principle. Our school did still allow spanking but I was happy to hear that this was too serious of a matter to handle at school.
I knew if the school wouldn’t take care of it, my mom would, and I didn’t expect her to do anything, because she never did – ever. But I felt bad for Matt and Jimmy, because I knew that their dads would give them a good long one. They cried to me and wished to be in my position.
Then our principle picked up the phone and said: “Matt, you call your dad first.” Matt slowly dialled the number, then someone picked up and Matt burst into tears, so the principle took the phone and explained it to him. He the hung up the phone and said: “Matt, you father is going to be over to pick you up in about 20 minutes.”
I leaned over and whispered into his ear: “You got time – go stuff some toilet paper in your pants now!” I saw a faint smile come up, but I still felt bad for him. Then they called Jimmy’s dad, and the same thing happened.
Then the principal said: “Well, Tyler, let’s call your mother – it’s not like we’ve never had to do this before.” He dialled the number and got hold of her. Then he explained it to her, and he hung up. He said: “Tyler, your mother doesn’t sound too happy. She said she will be here in three minutes.”
I did in a way get lucky because she was late. I saw Jimmy’s dad come in. He walked in, grabbed Jimmy by his shirt and walked with him out to the car. Then Matt’s dad and my mom both pulled in at the same time. Matt’s dad seemed pretty calm, and said hi, and put his arm around Matt and walked with him out to the car.
Then my mom walked me out to the car. She escorted me out by grabbing my neck and pinching it, until I let out a tear.
I watched Matt get into his car, then his dad started yelling at him, and Matt cried as they pulled away. My mom shut my door, then walked around and got in on her side. She shut her door, and said: “Tyler James, you are going to get that belt so bad – when we get home, you wait for me in the kitchen.”
I immediately started to shake. We pulled in the drive and she parked, I jumped out of the car and went in and waited for her at the kitchen table. She finally came in, and said, “Tyler, you know that I think cigarettes are a big deal, I don’t smoke them, and I always told you that you would be in trouble if you smoke, and got caught. Well this time you did. So I want you to pull out that chair.. and bend over it.”
I did what she told me to – it felt very weird. But I did it. She went over and took the belt off the hook and said: “Since this is the first belting I’ve given you ever, it probably won’t be as bad as the ones in the future will be.”
She said that because I had gotten a belting from my father, but hadn’t in a year and a half. She had never given anyone a licking. She smacked my bottom a few times with her hand but she never hit me more that five times, and never gave it that much force.
She stepped back and lifted up the belt, letting it swing. The first lick surprised me a lot. It stung, more than I could imagine (or remember at least). She kept going, then stopped after she had landed about 15 or 20 hard licks onto me. I was hysterical, I was bawling, dancing my behind all over the place.
Mom said:”There, Tyler – you got it. You’ll get it like that every time.” Then she hung the belt back up and came over, and picked me up (cause she could still do that, I wasn’t that big at 13) and put me in her lap, softly.
She was crying, and I knew it was because she didn’t want to see me cry and she felt horrible for hurting me, so I hugged her, and said: “I’m sorry, mommy, I love you! I won’t be bad any more. I will do anything, just don’t cry.” And with that she hugged me very long and then gave me a big kiss.
She then cried a little more and said: “Tyler, you know I love you more than anything in the world. I don’t like hurting you at all but this isn’t a bad kind of hurt, this is a hurt of knowledge and a hurt of love. I do this so that it will remind you next time you do something stupid and so that you know I don’t want you to do things wrong, because I love you.”
I understood perfectly what she said, and I knew that it was really for a good reason. I gave her another long hug, then went to my room and cried for myself some more.
I didn’t get in trouble again for a week, but then I let out and smart-mouthed my mom. It wasn’t really that bad, but I learned my lesson. My mom continued to do that to my sister and I until we were both 15.. And of all the times I got a licking from my mom, every single time she was done, she always said: “I am sorry, and I love you very much. But I had to do that to keep you in place.”
We understood. After she started that, step by step, we became better at behaving.
contributor: Tyler