In front of my elders
This happened in the early 1970s when I was nine years old, and the public spanking of children was no big deal. I had gone to spend a couple of … Read more
This happened in the early 1970s when I was nine years old, and the public spanking of children was no big deal. I had gone to spend a couple of … Read more
When I was in my teens, I was forced to stay with my Aunt Audrey every summer because I couldn’t keep myself out of trouble. My mom knew that my … Read more
When my sister Donna died I became guardian of her daughter, Joanne. My own mother had given very strict punishment with a belt, leaving bruises for days, and bad memories … Read more
Tanisha is an African-American mother-of-two living in the US state of Georgia. At the time of this interview, her sons were aged 11 and nine respectively. What do you give … Read more
When I was six, my youngest brother was born. I loved babies, so I stood by and helped either my mother or nanny with his care all through his infancy. … Read more
Mothers Talking is a previously unpublished series of interviews conducted mostly online (occasionally by telephone or in person) with mothers who were, at the time, using corporal punishment on their … Read more
Some time in the late 1970s, I was round at my friend Ian’s house. We had both recently celebrated our 10th birthdays – Ian’s was just four days after mine … Read more
When I was eight years old, I spent two nights at the house of my Betty, my favourite aunt. Aunt Betty didn’t have any children of her own – that … Read more
In 1974, I was 13 and spent my summer vacation with my best friend and his parents at a campsite in Bavaria. Unfortunately, after just a week, I became constipated … Read more
When I was about 10 or 11 years old, my best friend was Eddie Miller. He was about the same age as me. We were always together. One summer, we … Read more
Corporal punishment has long been a way of life for African-American children. There’s no getting around it, our mothers are just as strict as can be. I’m not complaining – … Read more
This happened one afternoon when my son John was around six. It was getting towards teatime – my husband Dennis had just got home and was sitting reading the newspaper, … Read more
During the Cold War in the 1970s I was in the US Air Force, working as a mechanic, and served several tours of duty in West Berlin. During one of … Read more
One summer, when I was nine, I met my friend Jesse to play at her grandparents’ summer home, near that of my grandmother. Between our two properties lay a large … Read more
My friend Anna had an Uncle Jonathan, who lived with her and her father. Anna’s parents were divorced, which was rare in my generation and circles. The three of them … Read more
In our house, mom used the belt for the more serious offences committed by my siblings and I. While I received plenty of whippings in my childhood, I can remember … Read more
As a boy growing up in the 1950s, I attended a small private school. One day, when I was 11, I got into serious trouble for disrupting class and I … Read more
I was at primary school (ages five to 11) in Surrey, England in the late 1960s when I got my first spanking from a teacher. I was about seven years … Read more
Corporal punishment was a pretty regular event in my family when I was a child. Spankings from my mother, which were usually done with a wooden spoon or hairbrush, were … Read more
“I said no!” my mother yelled as she pulled my little hand out of the enormous plant and gave it a sharp slap. I was four years old at the … Read more
In the third grade in private school, children could be physically disciplined, should the teacher feel it necessary. We did a lot of lining up to go places, and there … Read more
Even growing up in the 90s, spanking was far more common than you might think. Most of the kids I knew got their bottoms warmed when they pushed their parents … Read more
This is a story about one of the many memorable spankings I got during my schooldays. When I was 13, my father’s work took him for six months to a … Read more
I am the youngest of three boys, all born within about a year of each other. Becky came along six years after me, an accident in mum and dad’s sex … Read more
I was 12 years old and it was approaching ‘Cracker Night’ in Australia that everyone had bonfires and let off fireworks like rockets and bungers (which we called crackers, hence … Read more
Some years ago now, contributor Tyler submitted this dialogue from a conversation he had had with Kim, a mother of two young girls in South Korea, about parenting attitudes and … Read more
Mrs Kearns had earned a reputation among both parents and students for being the strictest of disciplinarians who taught first grade at my Texas elementary school during the 1960s. As … Read more
By the time I turned 16, I figured that I was too old to be spanked. I spent most of that summer with my aunt, who lived on a farm … Read more
Years ago, more than I would like to remember, I was soundly spanked by a neighbour. Her name was Jan and I remember the spanking as if it happened yesterday. … Read more
My brother and I had a typical sibling relationship growing up – in other words, we often fought like cat and dog. Although I was two years younger than my … Read more
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