Both my parents were firm believers in corporal punishment, and I got my first spanking as a toddler from my mum. These punishments continued through my very early years and were given with Mum’s hand on my bare bottom immediately after an offence.
Once I started school at five, however, my parents considered that I was old enough for punishment to be delayed. All disciplinary duties were handed over to my dad and if he was not home at the time, Mum would send me to my room with the all-too-familiar warning: “Wait ’till your father gets home!”