A trip to Boston

I was four, and Nanny had promised to take me to Boston Common, where we could feed the pigeons. We would also ride the swan boats in the garden, for … Read more

In fifth grade

When I was 10, I thought all physical discipline would end at our private school, at least for girls. We generally got some form of detention. I had a friend … Read more

Slippery slope

When I was a boy, my parents and I often went to stay with their closest friends (each of the husbands had been the other’s best man at their wedding) … Read more

The candy bar

I was all dressed for Sunday School with my younger brother Jeff. My father gave us each a quarter for the collection basket in Sunday School, and off we went. … Read more

How strict are yours?

With the decline in corporal punishment at home, I don’t know whether kids still have this conversation but back in my day, we often discussed how ‘strict’ our parents were … Read more

Telephone interruption

This is a memory from when I was four. My mother was talking on the telephone with a friend. She was in the upstairs telephone room, at the opposite end … Read more

A slip of the tongue

I was enrolled in a small private day school in New England in the 40s, when physical discipline was fairly common, or at least acceptable. In my class there was … Read more

Mothers Talking: Belinda

Belinda lives in New Zealand and describes herself as a ‘Bible-believing Catholic’. At the time of the interview, she had four children and a fifth on the way. Note that … Read more

Caught smoking

I grew up in Ohio in the 80s and by the age of 11, my best friend and I had grown curious about being cool like our fathers, both of … Read more

Tommy in trouble

Firstly, I have to admit that I’ve been fascinated by spanking from an early age. I wasn’t an especially naughty girl, so only had a handful of spankings from my … Read more

The Nanny Smacker

My mum was a big believer in corporal punishment, so not surprisingly my sister and I were often across her knee, with our underpants down, during our childhoods. All these … Read more

The belt from Momma

I grew up in a big African-American family (three daughters, two sons) in Alabama, US, in the early 1980s, and spankings were an almost daily part of family life. When … Read more

Counting the cost

When I was nine years old, my mother took me and my younger brother and sister to a department store where my grandmother worked. We needed school clothes and my … Read more

The wrong knickers

I always fancied myself as something of a ‘class clown’, and by the time I transferred to an English secondary school at the age of 11, I thought I had … Read more

The float

At grandmother’s summer home in Maine, we were by the ocean. At the foot of the hill, down from the house, were five small beaches where we all learned to … Read more

Heather’s sympathy

I grew up in Canada in an Irish Catholic family with two sisters, one a year older and one a year younger. My father was a police officer and mother a … Read more

The whole class

The following story was related to our contributor by his father, and comes from his dad’s own boyhood in the late 40s/early 50s. His son has attempted to retell this … Read more

Water – and the hairbrush

I remember the time me and my brother (who was two years older) got spanked over a water-related escapade. We had come home from school and were going out to … Read more

Obeying the sitter

This incident happened when I was nine years old. My mom had hired a sitter for me for two weeks – our nanny was on vacation. Anyway, the sitter came to … Read more

Mum finishes it

My sister Clare and I were always squabbling as children. It drove our mum to despair and two well-smacked bottoms were frequently the result. As the elder by 18 months, … Read more

Petticoat pettiness

I grew up in the late 50s and early 60s, when girls always wore skirts and dresses, and lots of crinolines. One time, my sister took one of my favourite … Read more

Hot by the pool

I remember staying at my aunt’s summer house when I was nine years old. One day, me and my cousin Kathy (who was about the same age as me) chased … Read more

Spankings at home

My siblings and I were spanked frequently as children. We were usually sent to our parents’ bedroom to await our punishment while Mama went out to cut a fresh switch. … Read more

A little talk

Once, when visiting my cousin in Kansas, he was acting really rudely and his mom said: “That’s it – we’re gonna have a little talk.” With this, she led him … Read more

Into the woods

When I was a child growing up in the Adirondacks, I went after school to Mrs Redmond’s house. She had a daughter, Loretta, who was three and a half years … Read more

The Victory Garden

When one lives in a house of servants, one must respect the work and turf of each person as being almost sacred. Servants are professionals, deserving all of the respect … Read more

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