A Military Upbringing2

My sisters were always smacked by Mum – this was never as formal as my own punishment and usually resulted in them paying a visit over her knee or the side of the bed and receiving a spanking with her hand. Mum was not one for the ceremony and would punish almost immediately an offense had been committed or discovered, and my sisters knew that resisting would only make it worse. Once into their teens mum switched from her hand to the slipper, but corporal punishment for all three of my sisters became less and less frequent – they seemed to learn quicker than me, but also knew how far to push and how to shift blame! My own physical punishment was very much my father’s domain – very formal and his authority was never questioned by me. I accepted that life was about learning, and sometimes I would make the wrong choices which would result in a lesson that was painful and at times humiliating.