Adjustments

Technically I should have added swats for Lion last night. I started out hard and fast with twenty-five swats. It was too much for him. I was using a different paddle than I use for our experiment, the spanking spoon. It made sense. This wasn’t the experiment. This was real punishment.

To be fair, he only rolled away at the end of the first twenty-five swats. I was hitting harder. The paddle had a longer handle so there really was more force involved. I backed off a bit. I have no doubt it still hurt him but not as badly as it did at first.

With his buns “only” red, Lion wondered if he had been a wimp. Maybe he could have taken the harder swats. Maybe he should have taken them. Maybe I should have added swats because he wimped out. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Isn’t this partially what our experiment is for? Aren’t we trying to build up his ability to be whomped?

I don’t think he failed any more than I think I failed by not leaving bruises on him. Although this wasn’t part of the experiment, I think it would be wrong to say we can’t adjust things mid-punishment. If I started out to give him 300 swats and at mile marker 179 he started bruising and/or bleeding more than I wanted him to, I’d be reckless if I continued. If he tells me that an area is very sore, wouldn’t I try to avoid it? I’m not actually trying to hurt Lion in the sense of doing damage. Sure a bruise is damage to some extent, but I want to avoid real damage.

This morning, Lion suggested concentrating on one area at a time. Perhaps I’d hit the left cheek with the first twenty-five swats, then the right cheek with the next twenty-five. What if he can’t take an entire burst on one cheek? There’s no sin in adjusting things. Very few things are black and white.  Sometimes they’re black and blue, but rarely black and white.