Thursday, October 13, 2005

The Ghost of Spankings Past



When I look back upon my youth, it’s little wonder I became a hard core spanko. In those days, spanking references were absolutely everywhere. Here are some examples that fueled my childhood fantasies:

  • Story books often included spankings. Corporal punishment was presented as the inevitable consequence of a kid doing something wrong. Some books even included details about the actual spanking! I recall that my second grade reader in school featured a lead character who was spanked at one point. Even then, I was fascinated by the subject. I reread that paragraph at least one hundred times.


  • Real life was little different. I was routinely spanked as a kid. So were most of my friends. It was common to walk through the neighborhood during the summer when windows were open and hear some kid getting her bottom smacked. Many schools still had (and used) the paddle. Time-outs hadn’t been invented yet.


  • Cartoons on television provided a nearly endless supply of spanking material. Tom and Jerry, in particular, tended to feature swats with various implements. Foghorn Leghorn used a paddle-like board to spank his rival, the dog. Numerous other cartoons portrayed children being spanked, again as the unquestioned outcome of misbehavior.

    I fantasized for years about a Flintstones episode where Wilma and Betty were paddled by Fred and Barney and their Water Buffalo lodge buddies. Afterwards, Wilma and Betty rubbed their bottoms and discussed how painful it was to sit. In my daydreams, I wondered what it would be like if I were to take that paddling.


  • Other TV shows fed my youthful obsession. Many people recall that Desi Arnez spanked Lucy on television, but did you know that Gidget (played by a young and perky Sally Field) was bent over the counter and spanked repeatedly by her sister and her husband? The best part was that Gidget didn’t seem all that upset.

    I remember the two boys on the Flipper show riding their bikes with white bed pillows on the seats because they had been spanked. Then there was the Beverly Hillbillies. Every week, Granny threatened to “whup” Jethro. Occasionally, she actually did it.

Maybe it’s just my twisted mind or faded memory, but it certainly seems as though I grew up in a spanking world. The comparatively few spanking references in our culture today are inevitably sexualized in a way that these old ones weren’t. I think it’s a positive development that many parents have found more constructive ways to instruct their children. At the same time, I miss those spanking references. Even forty years later, these memories can still press my buttons.

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7 comments :

dwcmike said...

Wonderful post. I also grew up in a spanking environment, and searched out other sources whenever I could. I remember being on vacaton in Lake George, or other beach resorts, and seeing spanking postcards as something fun to send to someone. I read weekly newspapers sent from Scotland, and the comics always had someone being spanked, and never the worse for the wear after it. Also, there were real life spankings discussed in those papers occasionally, as an acceptable part of life.
bottoms up
mike

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, those are some fond memories! I loved all that stuff growing up.

Thanks for reminding me of all of that. :-)

Bonnie said...

Mike,

But for your reminder, I might have totally forgotten to mention those little gift shops that seemed to accompany every tourist attraction. Most of them sold wooden paddles with cute sayings like "For the little deer with the bear behind," "Board of Education," "Heat for the Seat," or "Attitude Adjuster."

I vividly recall being fascinated by the possibility of a store that sells spanking paddles. I really wanted to check them out, but I didn't want to get caught examining the merchandise. So I walked slowly down the aisle several times with one eye on the paddle collection and the other on the lookout for anyone who might notice my abnormal interest.

I really wanted one of those paddles. I'm not sure what I would have done with it had I obtained one, but that didn't deter me.

As I said, is it any wonder I grew up to be a spanko?

dwcmike said...

I did buy one of those paddles about 5 years ago. I eyed it in a beachside store, and asked my wife if she might buy it. She said no, but that I could go back in the store if I wanted to buy it. The two sales ladies(older women) had a few giggles when I bought it, and I murmured something about it being a joke present for a friend. It states 'husband tamer'.
My wife used it a few days later in the back seat of our car, parked on the side of a quiet street, because we were staying with relatives and a couple of our kids. Next time you are near one of these stores, but the paddle, and enjoy! :>
I also remember spending as long as I could looking at the postcards.
bottoms up
Mike

Anonymous said...

YIKES!!!!! That was not Will, I logged into his profile to upload the image I created a little while ago, and forgot to log out. LOL

I'm such an airhead!!!!

Janeen

Ann said...

Well the Gidget I saw was a rerun.P.S. It was a couch.Well I was threatened by all three of my mom's friends.I mean no way on earth would my parents spank me.(God/ess honest truth).Guess it was fate I met Bryan. :D
Ann

Book Seller said...

Hi, I just happened upon your site and I had to comment.

My parents spanked my siblings but by the time I was born, *ten years later* it was out of pratice. It was always threatened but never done. So as you can imagine it went from fear to curiosity to erotic.

Mostly I wanted to say I remember childhood books too. I had one asian book about a duck that didn't want to be the last one on the boat because he would get spanked. That was the whole book. I drove my mom nuts getting it from the library every trip.

Then there was another story by Roald Dahl where a boy gets caned which scared the hell outta me but I read it a million times.

I remember the first time I saw Lucy get spanked. I actually squealed.

Thanks, great site.

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