In large cities, both in Argentina and in the rest of the world, it has been decades since corporal punishment was abandoned as a disciplinary method for children. However, in the interior of the country and especially in the north, it is still a widely used method to this day, which fortunately has not fallen out of use, and of which I can testify. When I committed a fault that deserved correction, my mother was always ready to spank me. It goes without saying that the preferred target of my mother's spankings was always my tender and defenseless buttocks. For her, there were no Saturdays or Sundays. She never felt lazy about spanking us as many times as necessary. The beatings could be weekly or daily, it was just a matter of deserving them.

When the fault was serious enough, mom didn't hesitate to look for proportional instruments for punishment such as belts, paddles, rods, and whips, and even a strap if necessary. Spanking us was not just an act in itself, and since I was a child, both my sisters and I surrendered meekly to this ritual, because we were aware that if we resisted, it would go worse for us, we would pay double. The ceremony began when our fault was discovered. She usually arrived home around 6 pm, and if I or my sisters had brought a bad grade or had committed some mischief that deserved correction, we had to wait for her in a corner of the living room, facing the wall. And woe to us if we didn't, so half an hour before she arrived, without anyone telling us anything, we would take our place. Once she confirmed that we were at fault, she ordered us to go to dad's office to bare our buttocks until she showered. With our pants down and our underwear around our ankles, I knelt in the corner and waited for my beating. When I heard her footsteps, I knew my wait was about to end. But I was strictly forbidden to turn around until mom authorized me to. Mom began to scold me severely for the fault and always ended up saying: "Do I have to give you a spanking? Then ask me for one," she said with a sharp and dry voice. This was also part of the punishment. We had to ask for our spanking politely. "Mom, can you spank me for not being a good boy today?" "Of course, I can. Now stand up and lean over the desk to receive your due." While I was getting into position, mom carefully took out the instrument chosen for the occasion from the drawer, it could be the slipper, the feared belt, or a fly swatter. And zass, the spanking began, which didn't stop until our buttocks were burning. When the beating ended, mom always bid farewell with the same phrase: "I hope I don't have to remind you of your obligations again - you don't know how much it hurts me to have to do this, but surely when you're older you'll thank me." And I do thank her. Mom made the frequent spankings I was subjected to temper my character and turn me into a responsible man, because it's clear that without discipline, you can't achieve anything. Unfortunately, she passed ...