Hi,

You're website is a wonderful resource.

I am 24 years old and come from an old fashioned Catholic family in Ireland. As a child of the 1980s, I had the misfortune to grow up at a time when spanking was seen as socially acceptable, and religiously so as well. I have distinct childhood memories of being across my fathers knee, bare bottom, and receiving a painful beating. Even as I grew older, he would still smack albeit over pants.

The embarrassment this leaves one with is immense.

Prior to discovering this site, I was deeply confused about my sexuality. I couldn't understand why thoughts of dominance and being hit had an arousing influence on me. Your website has, in contrast to pro/anti disciplining sites, allowed people express their own opinions: something that shows how the past has effected their sexual development. I am now at a stage in my life where I feel some sense of closure about the past and have, to a large degree, forgiven also. My primary reasoning for mailing you was to say thanks for your site which has without doubt made me understand the past, and, by reading the experiences of others, has helped me to understand myself as a person.

My sincere thanks,

Gerard