Speaking of Beverly Cleary, members may find some interest in this:

Beverly Cleary - (contributed by Jan) - In her memoir, A Girl From Yamhill, the American author recalls one day when she and her brother were bored and wondering what to draw on a blackboard their mother said: "Why don`t you see who can draw the best bird." Eventually the two of them argued who had drawn the best bird. Her brother had sat down on a chair to argue his point. (memoir text) "Mine`s best." Winston stolid and insistent was not going to give in. "It is not!" Before winston knew what was happening to him I grabbed him by the ankles and yanked him off the chair, he hit his head on the seat and began to howl, I knew instantly I had done a very bad thing, "Beverly!" Mother was shocked. Father sprang from the floor, yanked me through the cold dining room and deserted kitchen into the bathroom where he sat down on the edge of the tub, turned me over his knee and spanked me. Now it was my turn to howl: "I`ll be good daddy," I sobbed: "I`ll be good." She went on to add: "I knew I deserved that spanking so I had no reason to complain about it or feel sorry for myself, eventually I came out of the bathroom and was made to tell Winston I was sorry."

(Quoted from the Spanking Facts and Research website, sfrsite.topcities.com)

[QUOTE=RG_;1438]Speaking of Beverly Cleary, members may find some interest in this:

persephone, you just went up a BIG notch in my book.

Beverly Cleary is the best ever.

I have never been a big reader of fiction (except for Amber's of course!), but Beverly Cleary is an author who made a huge impression on me as a kid growing up.

And yes, she has spanking references in nearly all of her many fantastic books, like "Henry And Ribsy," "Beezus And Ramona," "Otis Spofford" and many others.

If you're a fan of hers like I am, Newsweek did a tremendous story on her a few weeks ago when she had her 90th birthday. I wish I had a link to it now. I'd post it.

What a great "blast from the past." A fabulous talent who made an impact on at least 2 people's lives on this forum...Beverly Cleary. I hope she has another 90 years in her!

Oh yes
 

Hey all, I'm new to here, but to respond to this question, "Oh yes", I was spanked growing up, always on my bare bum, and always the very fast, and agressive type spanking, who bared my bum depended on how upset mom was, and how clear I was thinking. A few times the paddle was used, butt there was no point in moms opinion for a spanking, of any kind to stop before the real tears had started, I mean, I figure every one crys, but when the real tears start, then it's just a matter of lesson.
Thank you for being here all.
Bry

Welcome to MSF, Bry.

Ramona Quimby, Age 8
 

When I saw this, I remembered clearly from reading the book the scene that caused Ramona's father to say such a thing to her. (I was a big Cleary fan too.)

Anyway, in the book, her parents were going thru some financial trouble and had to cut back on a lot of things (like meat - they had to eat tongue instead - ick) Ramona knew her parents were tense, so to lighten the tension one night at the dinner table, she asked someone at the table to "pass the tommy-toes". It made her parents smile, since 'tommy toes' was what she had called 'tomatoes' when she had first started talking.

However, like most kids her age (about 8 or so, in the book) she overdid it, continued to use the silly term until her father said what persephone had quoted above.

I only remember this specific reference to spanking from her books. Everything else I remember from Cleary's books were subtle, like the kids knowing they were 'gonna get it' or the parent's saying, 'do you want to get it?' For instance, in one book (may have been the same one) Ramona is throwing a fit in her room, lying on her bed and yelling. Since everyone ignored her fit, she decided to kick the wall next to her bed with her shoes. Her father then had yelled from the other room that she better stop kicking the wall or she was 'gonna get it'.)

sarah

hey gary, i'm brand new and i'm already jumping notches... i'll take that as a good sign. :) beverly cleary had a pretty solid presence in my childhood too.

Seems like I might have missed something in not reading Beverly Cleary when I was growing up. (sarah might, of course, suggest that I missed it because Beverly Cleary was growing up at the same time that I was.)

i was spanked growing up but always told not nearly enough lol. not sure what that means..:rolleyes:

I was spanked a few times growing up, but don't really remember any of them, except the one time dad took me over his knee and spanked me with his hand for jumping on my parents' bed (after he had told me to quit it about 5 times!). That one hurt! And then there was the time a friend of mine dared me to steal a pack of kool aid from the grocery store when I was 9. If mom hadn't caught me trying to make it that night I likely wouldn't have been caught though! Oh well. She took the whip to me for that one! I got a half dozen strokes, and it hurt! There may have been a few more times I got spanked by my parents, but I don't really remember. I got it at school a few times too!