I gave it mainly to the older children – mostly boys, of course! Very few girls. I can’t remember anyone younger than eight having it. And it had to be pretty serious – hitting another children, danger to life and limb, insolence to their class teacher, that sort of thing. Karen listened, and the message sank in. She knew her Mummy did not do idle talk as regards discipline. All the words looked so official, having been typed by the school secretary. And signed by her teacher in ‘Quink’ blue, fountain pen ink. I could feel the blood rushing to my head and sheer panic beginning to set in. I knew that I would be in serious trouble if I owned up to the accident. After pondering my dilemma for a while, I eventually decided to show my mother the toy but sat that I had found it on the upstairs landing, already broken.

We have never had a discussion about this, but this pattern continued after our other two boys arrived and began going over Mummy or Daddy’s knee for discipline. Harry, our second boy, was conceived during a passionate post-spanking lovemaking session, so he owes his life to Simon’s naughtiness! I can’t be sure about James, our youngest, but no doubt his naughty big brothers contributed to his own conception. Spanking a man requires the same technique as spanking a woman or indeed a naughty child. However a man... Well, it wouldn't be punishment if it didn't make you uncomfortable in some way. Punishment *hurts*, and people don't like it - that's what makes it punishment. If something doesn't hurt or people don't mind having it, it's not punishment, and is unlikely to have much deterrent value. Which guy do I choose? A) The nice guy who works hard and exactly fits my type but barely has chemistry with; or B) The rich kid who's flunking school but I actually have chemistry with?If we went out for a meal (a rare treat in those days), our behaviour had to be exemplary:the worst sin of all was to annoy other diners. Rather different to nowadays when kids seems to take over the whole dining-room!

Time to leave them, until the next time…Mummy is downstairs, putting the slipper away, until next time. She knows this will not be the last time it will be used, it will probably have just been the first of many. Mildred was walking by, the strains of the spanking symphony drifted through the window turning into a cocophony of sound, hard whups! and long, long howls of pain! She nodded satisfactorily. “Good old Mummy, keeping up the standards, that’ll teach her!”Mummy sat on the bed, and slid the slipper deftly under the pillow. Then turned a nervous, worried Karen to face her. “I told you quite plainly Karen, that if you were naughty at school, you would be punished at home.” As she did this she tugged the pyjama bottoms down, to land in a puddle at her daughters ankles. She had friends there, she had respect, she even had a few who envied her. Also, quite possibly, a few ladies, especially the young mothers, were in awe of her, even, more than a little scared of her. I agree that this is over. He may not have told you the whole truth about everything, but it sounds pretty genuine when he says he didn't take enough of a break after his last relationship before taking up with someone else.