I guess it’s true that Brother McD didn’t hit that hard – but it was still easily hard enough to make an impression on a ten year old. Back when I was ten, he used to carry a strap in his pocket in the playground as he had for many years. But he stopped doing that fairly soon after – maybe the changes meant he wasn’t allowed to. It did not however stop him disciplining boys. When I was 13, I dared to backchat him after he had mildly reprimanded me at recess. His hand just swung out and – well, he smacked my bottom.