In a supermarket the other day two children were messing around a lot. They played a game that looked like a mix of catch and nuclear warfare. Their minder, a girl of about 20, wasn’t even trying to calm them down – she was trying to finish her shopping and get out.

I imagined that she was the family’s au-pair. What she didn’t realise was that one of her employers’ neighbours was also in the shop, and saw the children running wild. The neighbour phoned their father that evening, just a friendly call to let him know that the au-pair might not be doing her job as well as she might.

The father called the girl into an empty living room for a talk. He realised, he said, that his children could be difficult, but she couldn’t just ignore bad behaviour and hope it would go away.
The girl said contritely that she understood, and that she would do better.

This promise wasn’t enough. In a bid to demonstrate that bad behaviour shouldn’t be ignored, the father instructed her to lower her jeans and bend over the sofa cushions. Knowing the procedure, she meekly leaned forward as he unbuckled his belt and slid it out of the loops.

The whipping that followed was not unduly harsh, but firm enough that the girl was tearful and sore by the end. Her promises of better work were far more sincere and convincing. The father allowed her to stand, then gave her a warm hug, reassuring her that he wasn’t angry, and was merely doing what was necessary.

The girl sniffled into his shirt and took mental notes.