The Unknown

Don't you ever question

At the Foundation

Mike's pov

After a short lunchbreak, I took Lisa back to my office while Shane escorted Julie back to the file room. Stripping my belt through my pant loops and folding it in half, I was ready to continue disciplining our second youngest.

  "Lower your pants and bend over my desk, Lisa."

"Mike, why? What did I do?" Lisa whined, unable to take her eyes off my belt.

"Did you seriously just ask me what you did? HOW ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU LIED TO ME MULTIPLE TIMES YESTERDAY, BROKE CURFEW, WENT SOMEWHERE YOU WERE NOT ALLOWED TO GO, AND DAMAGED MY CAR? DOES ANY OF THAT RING A BELL, LISA?" I took a few steps back and breathed in and out slowly, trying to get my temper under control.

"I'm doing you a favor right now by splitting up your belting into installments, not to mention the fact that I'm cutting in half the amount you would have been receiving with my new very thick belt but if you'd prefer to be taken over my knee two more times today to be spanked by hand and still receive the forty-three strokes with my new belt tonight, then so be it, Lisa. The choice is yours." I'm in no mood to coddle nor placate her after her outrageous behavior last night.

"No no, Mike, I'll bend over the desk. I'm sorry, I just keep upsetting you and now you hate me. I can't do anything right. I just don't know..." Lisa broke down in tears, finally facing the extent to which she disappointed Mike. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she repeated as she sobbed.

Sighing, I took Lisa into my arms and comforted her. Despite not wanting to coddle her, I couldn't ignore Lisa's cry for help.

"Shhhh, baby, don't cry. Shhhh." I held her against my chest as I rocked and soothed her until she calmed down.

Holding her by the shoulders, I said, "Look at me, Lisa. I need you to look at me and listen. Understand?" I waited for her to comply. Once she looked me in the eye and nodded, I continued. "Yes, I'm very upset with the choices you made yesterday to lie to me and disobey me but..." I held her chin to keep her eyes on me, "...there is nothing you could ever do to make me hate you and I think you know that. Don't you, darlin'?"

Lisa shook her head no then collapsed against my chest as fresh tears started to fall.

"Oh, sweetheart," I lamented, as I rubbed her back. "You have to know how much I love you. Right?"

She shook her head no again as she wiped her eyes.

Pulling back, brushing her hair from her eyes, I held her face in my hand and softly but sternly said, "Lisa Michelle, don't you ever question my love for you again. Do you understand me?" I wiped a stray tear from her cheek with my thumb before delivering a sharp swat to her backside. "Not ever," I repeated, tilting her chin up. "I expect an answer, young lady. Do you understand me?" I kept my tone gentle but serious.

"Yes sir," Lisa finally relented, accepting that I wasn't disciplining her out of anger, far from it actually.

"I'm willing to eliminate one hour of reflection time and ten strokes of the belt if you continue to cooperate, Lisa. Do we have a deal?" I don't think my daughter has any idea that I want to forego this discipline as much if not more so than she does. Neither Shane nor I enjoy this part of being a parent but we both recognize its necessity.

Lisa looked down and nodded which elicited a sigh from me.

"If I don't receive a proper verbal answer in the next ten seconds, Lisa, the deal's off.

"Yes sir, we have a deal." Lisa didn't want to let this slight reprieve slip through her fingers.

"Alright, I need you to bend over the desk now, sweetheart." Time to switch back into the role of stern parental authority figure.