When I was young, my friends and I would occasionally get into trouble, but most of the time we were good boys. However, the ritual of receiving an occasional spanking from a parent, teacher or other adult authority was the norm for almost every boy in our midwestern town, and I was not exempt. My friends and I would relish in telling each other the ‘war stories’ of how we were spanked.
We were never embarrassed about sharing these tales; quite the contrary. It was seen as almost a badge of honour to reveal the details of our punishments. This was really an important source of male bonding at a young age.