Mothers

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 car… more

My friend Anna had an Uncle Jonathan, who lived with her and her father. Anna’s parents were divorced, which was r… more

In our house, mom used the belt for the more serious offences committed by my siblings and I. While I received plenty of wh… more

“I said no!” my mother yelled as she pulled my little hand out of the enormous plant and gave it a sharp slap.… 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 war… more

My mother was not a pet lover, and my brother Jeff and I wanted a pet so badly that we would have done just about anything. Ea… more

My brother and I had a typical sibling relationship growing up – in other words, we often fought like cat and dog. Althoug… more

My mother believed in firm and strict discipline. At first, she seemed to prefer the ‘instant response’ s… more

This extract from The American Home (now Better Homes and Gardens) of April 1948 was kindly sent to us by an anonymous con… more

I was not used to being spanked when I was a young kid. On those rare occasions, my mother would grab my arm and place one or t… more

Mom was having a tea at 3.30 that spring afternoon. The cook had made wonderful cookies for the occasion and placed them o… more

Mom was rather strict. She was a firm believer in ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’. Her chosen instrumen… more

I had just turned seven and was playing at the park with some friends. Our mothers were sitting on benches a few hundred ya… more

Several summers ago. my siblings and I were at our subdivision pool, swimming. At the time, we were aged 10 to 14.

Mom had t… more

The following is an extract from Shirley Temple-Black’s out-of-print autobiography, Child Star.

That aftern… more

I grew up at a time, and on a street, where corporal discipline was a given. Spanking was the accepted means of correction … more

I wanted to share this account of a spanking that I had when I was about 11, I think. Regular spankings, or ‘smacked … more

As children, my sister and I were spanked regularly if we misbehaved. One warning – after that we got the paddle or switch… more

Growing up in the Midwest, my sister and I were raised by a strict but loving mother. When I was very young, spankings tend… more

As a child of the 1970s, I was the product of many spankings. Although I wasn’t a bad kid, my bottom felt the sting of … more

This happened when I was nine years old, back in the mid-90s. By this time in my life, I guess I was starting to assert my ind… more

The following is a letter published in the New York Times Magazine of April 22, 1945.

Parent and Child
To the Editor:

I wis… more

My mother was an old-fashioned lady of British descent, and a strict disciplinarian. She did not take lightly her perce… more

Being from a military family, my mother used to shop at the commissary about once a month and really stock up on the grocer… more

This is a true story, and a memory and lesson that lasted. I was about eight years old and I stole some cookies that morning … more

I have warm memories of childhood spankings. At first I was terrified of being spanked and then later, when my father was … more

When I was little, I got many spankings, all on my bare bottom. One day, I had been particularly bad, so my mother decided t… more

Growing up in the 1960s, spanking was not uncommon and my mother was of the opinion that a good spanking – or ultimately si… more