A reader of The Chattanoogan has fond memories of her upbringing:
I remember growing up. Everybody was your parent. When you were in church, at school or outdoors, you had to be the best-behaved child. Any adult that saw you doing anything out of the way sure would give you a spanking and, before you got home, your grandma or mother knew.
So, hands up if you think that being grabbed and spanked by random adults in the street would have helped you grow up a better person than you are.
What, nobody?
That said, in my virtual folder of fantasies is one where I’m a child growing up in a small community where every adult takes part in bringing up every child. Lots of spanking happens, naturally. However, in my fantasy, none of these adults are evil, morally suspect or even less than very wise, which makes it work this much better for me.
*nods* I entirely agree, Haron. Not to mention, every adult would have complete understanding of the way every child thought, so there would for example be no risk of punishment for an accident or misunderstanding or any of the other unfair things that make kids need therapy when they’re older…
Wouldn’t have done you any harm, my dear…
You’ve reminded me of a weird fantasy I have sometimes where I live in a close knit community and corporal punishment is all the go. So the group get together on a certain evening, probably Friday, and go through how each child has behaved over the week, and, if necessary – and it is usually necessary – the naughty children are spanked in front of everybody. That would be too much spanking for any one father, so the duty is shared about. I’m figuring a group here of about 20-25. (PS I warned you it was weird.)
I don’t think it’s weird, Rob. It’s your fantasy world; we all construct our fantasy world in way that makes them comfortable for us to inhabit. Weirdness doesn’t come into it.
You raise a very important point. Fantasies are not weird, I agree, but most of us aren’t running around telling people about what runs through our heads (which makes this such an important forum) because we know we might be thought of as “weird”. People can live together all their lives without knowing a fraction of what the other fantasises about, so it makes me think that people worry that even their soulmates might think they are weird, which I think is a great waste.