10 year old Lee stood before his father in the lounge. In the corner of the room stood his two brothers, 11 year old Nick and 7 year old Steven. The family home was near a small churchyard and father had been shocked to see one of his sons from his bedroom window playing hide and seek with a couple of his friends amongst the gravestones. He had stormed out of the house and marched to the churchyard, grabbed his son by the arm and told him to go to his room and wait to be called to the lounge. It was the custom in this family for beatings to be carried out in front of the other children. Father said this was to act as an example. Father also believed in making a child wait for his discipline and Lee had been in his room for about 90 minutes when his father demanded he came to the lounge. Nick and Steven had been called in and Lee fearfully came down the stairs and stood in front of his father. The boy noticed that the hard backed wooden chair, over which the children were thrashed, had been placed in the centre of the room. What he didnt know yet was what instrument of discipline his dad would use today. He had been thinking about this during his banishment to his room. He felt sure it wouldnt be the strap as father tended to use that for minor offences and from the mans reaction to finding him in churchyard Lee was sure this was regarded as serious misbehaviour. Which meant it would either be the cane or, heaven forbid, the riding crop. He had only seen the riding crop used once, on Nick when he had been involved in some serious misbehaviour at school. Nick had been given a dozen across his bare backside and had literally screamed in agony whilst the punishment was in progress.
So Lee now stood dressed in a flimsy white t shirt, short black shorts and white ankle socks. Footwear had been removed on entering the house as was the rule. "Churchyards are not play areas boy" father began "People are buried there and their families are entitled to have their loved ones left in peace". Lee sniffled and shuffled nervously and mumbled an apology. Father continued. "You are going to have to learn a sharp lesson today, take off your shorts". Lee removed the brief black shorts, revealing a tiny pair of light blue briefs. "Pants off" ordered father and Lee removed his pants, placing them on the floor next to the discarded shorts. Father then left the room and Lee heard him open the door to the cupboard under the stairs where the instruments of punishment were kept. To Lees horror when father entered the room he was carrying the crop.
"Oh please dad, not the whip" wailed the lad "I swear Ive learnt my lesson" Father was unmoved and ordered his son to bend over the wooden chair. Lee stood behind the chair and leaned forward as far as he could, grasping the front legs as hard as he could. He knew that father would announce the "sentence" before commencing the beating and he also knew that if he got up or covered his bottom before his dad had finished the punishment would be increased. He remembered when he had just turned 7 and had broken a greenhouse window a six stroke caning had turned into a 12 stroke one because he kept trying to cover his bottom.
Father moved behind the boy and lifted his t shirt so that it rested half way up the boys back. "You will receive 12 strokes" father announced without emotion. Almost immediately the first searing lash cut down across the boys backside. Lee yelled. The second lash, followed by another shriek from Lee. A third cut and a louder, anguished howl. "Are you learning your lesson boy" father asked and through floods of tears Lee sobbed that he was. Father continued methodically whipping his son, waiting between strokes for the boy to compose himself, but also for him fully appreciate his discipline. Father believed it should last a while and not be over too quickly.
Eventually the final stroke had been administered and Lee was told he could stand. As was the custom he would now be sent to the corner of the lounge to stand for an hour, hands on head. For the final indignity it was a family custom that after a punishment the boy would remain naked from the waist down until bedtime.