Red as a London bus
The summer between 9th and 10th grade, we went as a family – mom, dad, me and my younger sister and two younger brothers – to … more
Others
Smackings at the childminder’s
During the early 1990s, my mum had a little part-time job which helped with the bills but meant that I had to be looked afte… more
A new coat
When I was seven and Jeff was six, mother had bought us new coats for Easter and we were invited to tea on Easter afternoon a… more
The sailboat
My nanny was very strict, as you will know already if you’ve read some of my other stories. She took us to the park so… more
The tricycle
My mother took me to visit the daughter of one of her friends. We were the same age. Sarah and I liked each other right away a… more
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 … 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 … 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 po… 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… 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 sa… 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 litt… 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 a… more
Just like Grandma
When my sister Donna died I became guardian of her daughter, Joanne. My own mother had given very strict punishment with … more
Aunt Betty spanks
When I was eight years old, I spent two nights at the house of my Betty, my favourite aunt. Aunt Betty didn’t have an… more
An enema from Aunt Maria
In 1974, I was 13 and spent my summer vacation with my best friend and his parents at a campsite in Bavaria. Unfortunately… more
The orchard
One summer, when I was nine, I met my friend Jesse to play at her grandparents’ summer home, near that of my grandmo… more
The Tupperware party
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 far… more
Staying with Aunt Joyce
About two weeks after my 17th birthday, I went to visit with my Aunt Joyce in Alabama. I was to stay with her for one month an… more
Cuts and bruises
I grew up in the 1950s, when Britain’s canal network was still a place of work rather than a holiday destination. A … more
Listening to Becky
This event happened when I was about four. I was being watched by Becky – she was an average size woman in her mid 20s.
On thi… more
Tina’s underwear
I was 10 and it was the start of the Christmas holidays. The weather was foul and I was bored because my friends weren̵… more
Two memories
As a child growing up in the 70s, I was spanked by my mother and my baby-sitters.
I grew up in a small beach town. One day, whe… more
Non-indulgent nana!
The following is a reader’s letter published in the UK women’s magazine Family Circle in 1977. My thanks g… more
Holiday misdemeanours, part I
As a child, I was smacked very rarely and then only by my mother. Her method was the old standby – over the knee with trouser… more
Aunt Julie’s dress code
I’m currently 47, and when I was a teenager in the 1970s, it was the height of fashion to have long, shaggy hair – or s… more
The railway
My dad’s sister had two daughters, one six months older than me and the other three years older.
The younger girl, … more
Back on track
I grew up in the Midwest during the early 60s and corporal punishment was widely practised at the time, especially by the … more
Grandmother
I remember my grandmother well. She died when I was 14, but she was a great influence in my life, and I will never forget her… more