My son was three years old when I first introduced him to my girlfriend, who was at the time wrapping up her university degree. Linda’s motherly instincts kicked in almost immediately and she began caring for Taylor from then on.
Something I noticed from early on was that Linda was fair but firm. She would sweetly tell Taylor to not do stuff and be a good boy, explaining patiently why he should ‘listen to Mommy’ and obey her.
However, if Taylor still failed to conform, she would get firm and drive the message home. Her expression would become stern and her tone authoritative, as she brought her face close to the little boy’s and firmly gave him instructions. “I said no!” ” Taylor, now be a good boy for Mommy.” “Stop that now.“ “Behave yourself!” As soon as Taylor had set himself straight, Linda would transition back to being warm and friendly, rewarding him with a gentle caress or a peck of a kiss.
One night, after putting Taylor to sleep, Linda talked to me about her role as his stepmom. She told me that she intended to start disciplining Taylor more formally, just the way she would have if he was her own child. I was shocked, to be honest, but trusted in her motherly instincts.
Before I knew it, Linda had purchased a 12in wooden ruler. That evening, she sat Taylor on her lap, showed him the ruler and explained what it was for. She assured him that there was nothing to fear as long as he obeyed Mommy but if he did not, then there would be a spanking. It was an intimate moment, as Taylor snuggled in Linda’s arms and she comforted him with a motherly embrace.
Initially, Linda applied the ruler on Taylor’s hands. She would make him stretch his hands out before her and smack his open palms. Then she trained him to bend over and began smacking his legs. Finally, she began to formally bare his bottom and take him over her knee. By now, Linda and I were also married.
The discipline of the ruler did Taylor a lot of good – he became very obedient, respectful and well-behaved. And strangely, he grew even more close to Linda. He always flocked to her, even though she was the one who took his pants down and spanked him. I guess her loving discipline just made him even more fond of her.
When Taylor turned seven, Linda talked to me again about family discipline and said she planned on making a change. By now Linda was Taylor’s mother as much as I was his dad. So when she told me that she would be introducing the belt, it was more like she was letting me know rather than asking for my permission.
From then on, when he was naughty, Linda would make Taylor bend over an arm of the living room sofa and lash his backside with a folded over leather belt. She applied the leather to his buttocks, sit spot, upper thighs and even his legs. As with the ruler, Taylor also sometimes got the belt on his hands too. For that, Linda doubled the belt twice over to shorten it.
Taylor really feared the belt and would cry quite a lot when Linda disciplined him with it. Linda had certainly become more strict but she was still a loving disciplinarian. She never failed to comfort and assure our son of her love for him after belting him. The dynamics between the mother and son didn’t wane but grew stronger and more intimate, despite the harsher punishments.
The beatings with the belt made Taylor a complete mama’s boy. He obeyed Linda without question, did everything she told him, stuck to the rules and hovered around her all the time. Linda had only to ask ‘Taylor, do you want the belt?’ and our son would be almost instantly back on his best behaviour.
The last and final change came when Taylor was 10 and Linda bought a cane. She caned Taylor in the same way she had used the belt, bent over the sofa or on his outstretched palms. Linda used the cane until Taylor was 14, at which point all corporal punishment ended.
Those final years with the cane were memorable. Having raised Taylor from when he was three, and disciplined him with both the ruler and belt, Linda now had high expectations of him. She was very strict and took no excuses for failure. Linda pushed Taylor hard and was demanding in this last phase of discipline. She did not have to cane Taylor often but when she did it was usually six of the best on his bare bottom, followed by a couple more strokes on each hand.
Linda and Taylor are still incredibly close today and cherish each other’s company. From three to 14 years old, I witnessed Linda disciplining Taylor on many occasions. Her strict yet loving style of discipline always captivated me. There was something about her resolve to chastise Taylor as his mother that made me love her all the more, and it really cemented our marriage.
To this day, whenever I look at Linda, I am often reminded of how strict and loving she was with Taylor, and those thoughts draw me closer to her. We never had a child of our own but Linda was truly amazing with Taylor – she did a fantastic job with him and I can never thank her enough for being such a great stepmom.
Contributor: Vincent