From: SFPo8@aol.com Subject: Listening Listening It happened last Friday afternoon. I had come home from school and found the house empty so, as usual, I took the extra key from the flowerpot and let myself in. Fixed a snack. Watched TV. Got bored. Noticed that the door to dad's study was open; decided to poke around in there. (Dad never lets us go in his study when he is out; says that we might mess up his papers or something. Look, I'm old enough --- twelve --- to be careful about stuff like that). Anyway, his desk was covered with letters and work he was doing, really boring, but I did see some kind of magazine sticking out from the pile. Pulled it out. Wow! In and Out , it was called. I guess I get it; it's really a kind of dirty joke. The whole thing was naked people, or parts of them, doing, you know, sex. I mean, it was embarrassing. Who buys this kind of stuff? What was dad doing with it? Worse, what was I going to say I was doing with it when I heard the front door close and dad call over his shoulder to my sister, "All right. Just follow me into the study." I had about three seconds to figure out what to do. I shoved the magazine under the papers on the desk and jumped into the closet. Pulled the door as far shut as I could. So I'm standing there in the dark, for a real long time, and this is what I heard: "Get in here, Jennie, right now!" (Jennie is my big sister; she's a year older, in the eighth grade) "I'm coming , dad. Don't have a cow. What's the big deal anyway." "Watch yourself, young lady. You're already in enough trouble. You told us you were going over to Sandra's house after school this week. And then your mother calls me at work and tells me Mrs. Barton heard that you and a bunch of other kids were sneaking out to the park, smoking, and drinking wine! And I have to leave the office and look for you, and there you are, the whole bunch of you, cigarettes and wine bottles, hidden in the bushes, God! Don't you ask me what the big deal is." "Well, gosh, dad, you know, everybody does it, I mean, I bet you did it when you were my age. It's no big deal. I mean, I can use good judgment; it's not like I was drunk, or anything. We were just fooling around, you know?" "Good judgment? Look, Jennie, I did get caught once, smoking, when I was about your age. But I wasn't drinking. And I wasn't in a public park. And I didn't get away with it either." "So what happened? Your folks give you a spanking? Come on!" "That's exactly what happened, young lady. And don't be so sarcastic. We've never spanked you, but maybe if we had, you'd have a little more respect. It straightened me out, let me tell you." "Oh, dad, get real. Come on. I'm thirteen! You're not going to . . . look, just give me the lecture, and get it over. I've got things to do. You just don't understand. This is such a bore." "I'm boring you, am I? I guess you're right. Lectures are boring . . . and useless. Obviously. O.K. I guess I'm just out of touch with kids today. You don't think I care what you do. Well, I do care. And I'm going to get in touch. You may not like this particular kind of touch, but it's worth a try. Come over here." "I'm here. What do you want to tell me?' I'm not going to tell you anything. You are not interested in what I have to say, not now. So I'm going to save my breath. Get over my knee." "What?" "You heard me perfectly well. Bend over my knee. I've never given you a spanking before, but I'm going to now. Maybe it won't help, but it damn well will leave some kind of impression, and maybe you'll think twice before you do something as dumb as this again. Hurry up. I'm not fooling. I want you across my knee now, and if you're not there in ten seconds, you'll be sorry." "Oh, gosh, dad, I didn't mean . . . look, can't you . . . don't look at me like that . . . don't look at your watch! All right, all right . . . Uh, like this? This is so totally embarrassing. Hey? What are you doing with my skirt?" "Just getting it out of the way, dear. Making the target easier to see. I may have never done this before, but I think I can figure it out. (Smack) Yes. (Smack) Yes, this is going (Smack) to be (Smack) interesting. (Smack) Am I getting through to you (Smack) a little? "Ow! Dad! Cut it out. Oh! That hurts! Oh! It's not . . . ow . . . funny . . . Ouch! Quit it! Owww! Stop it! Ow! This is . . . ouch . . . totally . . . ow! . . . unfair. OWWW! CUT IT OUT! OWW! YOU BASTARD! (At this point, the sounds of my father's palm landing on Jennie's behind increased in volume and came faster and faster. Soon they took on a sharper sound.) "What did you say, you little spoiled brat? That's what you are, you know, a spoiled brat. This spanking is 'way overdue, I see; you may be thirteen, but you need to be treated like a seven-year-old. And that's what I'm going to do. Let's just slide down these panties and see how much you can learn from a real bare-bottom spanking!" "Oh, no, dad, please, don't ...OWWW...you can't...OWWW...do that...OWWW...I don't want...OWWW...you to see...OWWW... me like...OWWW...oh, help...OWWW...please...OWWW...I mean...OWWW...I'm sorry...OWWW...I didn't...OWWW... dad, please...OWWW...my bottom...OWWW...it hurts...OWWW... please, please...OWWW...dont...OWWW...spank me any more...OWWW...I'll be good...OWWW...I'm sorry...OWWW... ...OWWW!...Oh, OWWW! OUCH! OWWW!" (At this point, all I could hear were the sounds of dad's hand cracking across Jennie's behind, and her outcries, slowly turning to muffled sobs. After another minute, it grew quieter, and dad spoke again). "There. I think that does it for now. Get up, Jennie. Look in the mirror. Do you see how red your bottom is? How does it feel? Do you want to have that happen again? Because I promise you, things are going to change around here. No more lectures. No more backtalk. The next time you do something like you did today, you can expect to find yourself back in here again, over my knee again, bare bottom again. Only next time, I won't use my hand. I'll use this ruler, or maybe your mom's hairbrush. I hope there will not have to be a next time, but if there is, you know what to expect, don't you?" "Yes, dad." "Do you think you have learned something today?" "Yes, dad." "What is it?" "If I do something bad, I'll get spanked, and it really hurts to get spanked." "Anything else?" "I should think twice before I do something bad." "Anything else?" "And . . .and . . .I guess you really care what I do. That spanking really hurt, dad. But I know you wouldn't have given it to me unless. . . well . . .unless I deserved it . . .and you really cared." "Very good, Jennie. I do care. I'm sorry I had to spank you so hard, but you did deserve it. And I promise I won't ever do it again unless you deserve another spanking. But I promise I will give you another spanking if you do deserve it. Deal?" "Deal. Can I go now, dad?' "Of course. Be good!" I heard the door to the study open and close. I waited for dad to leave the room. About half a minute passed, and I heard dad shuffling some papers on his desk. Then: "All right, now, son. Did you think I didn't see you duck in there? Did you think I didn't notice what you were looking at on my desk? Did I ever forbid you to come into this room? "Your turn. Come on out. You can just drop those pants and get over my knee. You're going to get it on the bare bottom with the ruler, and I hope you take your spanking as well as Jennie took hers. We may have some red bottoms in this house for a while, but we're going to have some well-raised kids, too!"