Timing Isn’t Everything

On Wednesdays, I leave work early to pick Lion up from physical therapy. For some reason, if he takes the “short bus” home it takes forever on Wednesdays. It also allows us to do things we may need to do in our old town.


I was telling Lion a few things on the way home. He interrupted me. When he was done talking I asked if I could continue my story. This was his warning shot over the bow. He interrupted the next conversation too. I was less tolerant that time, but I was driving and for some reason our exit had a lot more traffic than usual so I had to go to the next exit. Once I got that sorted out Lion asked if he was going to be punished. He said it would help him if I let him know. Ummm…okay. Would he prefer my avoiding other cars or telling him he’d be spanked? Let me get past the traffic. I suppose I could spank him more for that annoyance but I’ve found a bigger annoyance. I think I might make it a rule.


When I’m involved in a conversation, I try not to interrupt unless I’m completely lost. I wait to see if I can fill in the blanks with the context of the rest of the story. Similarly, when I start telling Lion something that happened at work, if he’d just wait for the next sentence, he might be able to fill in the blanks. But he doesn’t wait. He interrupts to ask what X is or who said Y. It makes me not want to tell him anything. Yes, I know this is technically just interrupting but it’s a specific type of interrupting that drives me crazy. So crazy it needs to be a separate rule. (I knew I’d find one.)


Ironically, when he interrupts me, I tend to interrupt him. I know I do it occasionally anyway, but I seem to do it more when he does it to me. I don’t think I do it on purpose, but I do notice it. Maybe it’s because I’m annoyed that he’s interrupted me that I realize I just did it to him. I try to apologize if I do it in a normal conversation, but I don’t feel at all bad when he’s already interrupted me. I guess that part says more about me than it does about him.


Long story short (too late), Lion got his butt spanked last night. However, I think I was so concerned with doing a five minute spanking that I didn’t really concentrate on what I was doing. I tried to limit my swats to his sit spot and avoid drawing blood but I was distracted by the clock. I don’t think I hit as hard or delivered as many swats as I normally do.

lion's spanked buns
Lion’s buns after his spanking last night.


The good news is, I got Lion’s buns a very nice rosy red with just a hint of blood. The bad news is, he didn’t feel it this morning. It’s perfectly understandable. I don’t think it was a very good spanking. Maybe a time limit is not a good indicator of a punishment level. Hitting longer does not necessarily mean it’s more severe.