Hello everyone!

Until I found Susan's fascinating new site, I felt very alone in my use of regression techniques and petticoat discipline to control my husband. I am glad to find myself among kindred spirits, and I now feel much more secure about my own experiments with behaviour modification.

Shortly after we were married it became obvious that my husband enjoyed, indeed craved, discipline. He would do things to provoke me, and at bedtime I would frequently find a wooden-backed hairbrush or a strap on my pillow when I came out of the bathroom. George would then apologise for his earlier misbehaviour and offer only token resistance as I eased him across my knee for punishment.

This went on for sometime, providing him with a great deal of satisfaction, and me with very little. It also occurred to me - rather late in the day, I must say! - that if he enjoyed my discipline, it hardly constituted a punishment. I resolved to change things and to steadily take control.

The first, and probably the most important, step was for me to insist that for every spanking or other corporal punishment he received, he must accept a punishment of my choosing. He demurred at first but when he realised it was the only way he could have what he wanted, he reluctantly agreed.

I bought two notebooks: one of which he had to take to work in his briefcase and keep on his person when at home. It was labelled on the front 'My Conduct Record'. The other book I kept, and made my own notes about his behaviour and attitude every day. I expect George to note down in his book any offences committed at work such as swearing, being unreasonable to inferiors, sexist thoughts or actions, taking more than an hour for lunch, making personal phone calls and so on. When at home, he has to record each and every misdemeanour, such as falling behind his agreed schedule of daily or weekly chores, putting insufficient effort into his tasks, discourtesy, selfishness, swearing and so on.

As a journalist, I work largely from home and have my own office, which is now known as The Study. George is forbidden to enter this room without permission and he must knock and wait until I call him in. He only ever enters my study when he is to be disciplined and on these occasions I put a name plate on the outside of the door: 'Miss Pascalle'. He has to address me as such, or as 'Ma'am'. In turn, during all disciplinary activities, I address him only by his surname. This has proved very effective in establishing the correct parent/child or teacher/pupil relationship between us.

Intellectually he is my inferior, but he has a reasonably senior position in a local accountancy firm and he works fairly regular hours. One rule I strictly enforce is that he must phone me immediately he arrives at work, that he calls again when going to lunch and upon his return, and finally that he phones immediately before leaving in the evening. This has the effect of putting him in an inferior position. He does not have a mobile phone and will not be permitted to have one, as he will only make frivolous use of it and run up large bills.

In the early days, I used to hold a disciplinary session every Friday evening at 8pm. He would report to my study precisely on time, wearing a silk dressing gown and boxer shorts, and I would usually keep him waiting for five or ten minutes before calling him in. I would then hold a detailed appraisal of his conduct in the past week, using our two notebooks as a memory jogger. If we disagreed on any points, I would either overrule him, or compromise if I felt he had a genuine and politely argued case.

I would then decide what punishment to award. The award and the administration were usually separated by up to 24 hours. The physical punishment was generally between three and twelve strokes (we acquired a suitable cane early on) and this would be followed by a period of humiliation and hard work. I soon decided that the punishment would be more effective if he were required to report to me in a camisole and french knickers, and I took him with me to purchase the necessary items. The cane is never administered in the bedroom or close to bedtime, so the experience is completely separated  from any sexual gratification.

Over the years I have converted the larger of our spare bedrooms into a detention/punishment room. It has a bare, highly polished wooden floor, a blackboard and elevated teacher's desk, a traditional desk and chair, a cane and tawse, a variety of text and exercise books and a single wardrobe which houses a growing collection of skirts, dresses and other items. There is also a tallboy in which he has to keep his punishment underwear in immaculate order and condition. Other items in the room are an ironing board and an electric iron, some starch, and a mixing bowl and a large pillow case filled with petticoats and knickers acquired from charity shops. These are used for punitive ironing tasks.

The detention room is north-facing, so it never gets really hot, and the radiator is only turned on with my permission. This is not normally given, unless the weather is exceptionally cold. The only other contents of the room are a metal-framed army-style bed with a thin mattress and three blankets, a basin with a cold water tap, and a chamber pot. My penitent husband has to sleep in the punishment room if he fails to finish his tasks on time, or if a punishment session spans Saturday and Sunday. The room has just one door and the only key is kept in the lock on the outside. I try to use detention to good effect - and I am presently trying to get some Shakespeare and Dickens into his thick head, but it is very hard work!

Quite recently I discovered Academy Wear - a mail order company that supplies traditional school uniforms in adult sizes. This is an absolute boon and when confined to the detention room, my contrite husband now has to wear a maroon gymslip, baggy maroon knickers - elasticated at the waist and leg - a plain white cotton camisole, white blouse, school tie, black suspender belt, 70 denier stockings and lace-up shoes. He also has a blazer and cardigan for the colder weather, and a boater for special occasions. He looks such a pet! In the summer he will be put into a traditional cotton dress.

Scarcely a mention of a petticoat so far? Yes he does have to wear them as part of the punishment regime, but not in the detention room. Incidentally, I always insist that he refers to his garments as 'MY knickers' or 'MY petticoat' to create an attitude of mind and to emphasise his changed status in the world. He is not allowed to call a petticoat a slip, nor to call his knickers, pants. I find that the terminology alone is a source of acute embarrassment to him.

It is really impossible to capture the experiences of five years in just one letter, so with Susan's permission, I shall stop here and return on another occasion to fill in some of the details of my relationship with him.
With love to you all,

Emma

PS: Next time I have to punish Hubbie, I intend to make him write a detailed punishment report for publication here. I wonder if Susan would like to suggest a suitable punishment for a grown up teenager who makes very little effort with his studies?
E.

I think his schoolgirl outfit sounds heavenly, and ensuring he uses the right words for his garments, words that evoke as many fluffy ruffles as possible, is perfect petticoat discipline. If I were you, I would make sure that his time was spent usefully, and I would keep the ironing of clothes not intended for wear to a minimum. After all, there is no reason why he cannot spend extra time gently hand washing, scenting, and ironing your, and his own undies, so that they are picture perfect.

I was very disappointed to read that he has not developed a love for Dickens and Shakespeare. I am a devotee of English literature, and it seems inconceivable that he could be so insensitive to two such writers.

Could I suggest that you begin with 'Great Expectations', which I think is the most accessible of Dickens' novels, and perhaps 'Julius Caesar' in the case of Shakespeare? Both have been made into excellent films, and the gorgeously frilly pantalettes that Pip's girlfriend wears in the 1940s 'Great Expectations' (forget about that modern version) will make him feel faint. You could even have a pair made for him, so he can dress just like Estella.

Another suggestion – take him to see the 1996 film of 'Hamlet'. I had long despaired of this play being adequately filmed, but this version is just marvelous. From a woman's point of view, Kenneth Brannagh is dreamy in the title role, and readers should note that in the early court scene, Kate Winslet as Ophelia is wearing an absolutely luscious red velvet gown, and amongst the party of travelling players is a very pretty little girl showing off a darling white cotton petticoat.
Susan