Others

I was 14 and my sister was 19. My parents went out of town for the weekend and left my sister in charge. We had a great relationship, and I … Read more

When I was growing up in the 50s, a family lived above us who we were very close to. Me and my three brothers called the mother ‘Aunt Helen’ and … Read more

You may have already seen my previous mention of Miss Rose, the young Matron who looked after the younger boys when I was a boarder at a prep school on … Read more

This story happened when i was four years old, barely in pre-school. My mom fell pregnant with me two weeks after she had graduated from high school. While in high, … Read more

When I was growing up, my family always took camping trips. I remember one in particular. As a child, I always enjoyed having an aunt or neighbour lady see me … Read more

From: The Outlook (periodical published in New York) 5 July 1913 p. 523-6 When Corporal Punishment for Children is Right: A Story of Personal Experience My mother is a stepmother, … Read more

When I was about 12, my mum went into hospital and I went to stay with an aunt, uncle and girl cousin for a while. One Saturday morning, my uncle … Read more

When I was about 10, I was being looked after by my Aunty Margaret while my parents were on holiday. One day, one of my friends suggested we play truant … Read more

When I was nine years old, I had a friend named Scott. He and I would often play at his house – in fact, we did pretty much everything together. … Read more

When I was growing up, I spent the summers working on my aunt’s farm. My uncle had passed away a couple of years before and she continued to run the … Read more

My parents never spanked me when I was growing up. They often threatened to do it – but I would change my behaviour quickly, as I had seen my sister … Read more

When I was 10, mom and dad went away on a business trip. Since they could not take me with them, mom asked a girlfriend if I could stay with … Read more

I was around five or six years old when this happened – I was staying with my grandmother for the weekend because my parents were celebrating their wedding anniversary. As … Read more

When I was growing up in Dublin in the 1960s, spanking, caning and strapping were a fact of life. Most boys I knew got it, even if few of us … Read more

My mother developed multiple sclerosis – leaving her in a wheelchair – when I was just three years old. This placed many extra burdens on my father – including that … Read more

It was a rainy day and I was playing ping-pong with a couple of neighbourhood girls, Tammy and Aleisha. We were all about 13 at the time. Tammy had found … Read more

When I was 14, my mother, my sister and I visited my Aunt Karen in Chicago for Spring Break. I was excited to see my aunt since she was pretty … Read more

When I was about nine years old, I lived on a farm for about six months. This was my aunt’s home. It was a cool farm, with everything that all … Read more

When I was four and a half, I spent a few days at my Aunt Kathy’s. Dustin, my five-year-old cousin (not Aunt Kathy’s son) was also visiting her during that … Read more

When I was in my early teens (in the early 1960s), my mother was required to move out of town for employment and it was determined that I would stay … Read more

One weekend, when I was eight, my parents were out of town. However, they had instructed my 19-year-old nanny Brandi to take us to church on Sunday as usual. Brandi … Read more

When I was a little girl, my parents often went away and I stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house. My parents were not firm believers in physical punishment – … Read more

When I was six, my parents went on a business trip for two days and I stayed home with my mom’s friend Amy. She was 18 at that time. Before … Read more

When I was about eight, I used to go to a shop to buy sweets after school, usually with my friend David. The woman who ran the shop was a … Read more

When I was 18, in the 60s, my father married again. He had told me she was a ‘younger woman’ but was a bit vague as to the particulars. In … Read more

It was the 50s, and I was five – an only child living in an apartment with my parents. One summer’s day, my mother decided that she would go back … Read more

The first time I ever remember being smacked by anyone other than my mum was when I was seven years old. My sister Jennifer was nine and we were at … Read more

I was six and a half years old when my parents went to Florida to visit a sick member of the family. They left me with ‘Aunt Rachel’, a family … Read more