Posted by DR on May 18, 2005 at 23:42 [67.83.76.91]
Tisha, your story made me smile. It reminded me of my first date with my slave. Prior to our meeting in person, we got to know each other over the phone, and I'll never forget that she had asked me, "What would you do if I bratted you on our first date?" Sure enough, twenty minutes into our lunch, she went into brat mode. After giving her a warning, which she disregarded, I reached across the table, pulled a small piece of her hair near her ear, hurting her just enough to get her attention and said, "Are you going to behave or do I have to come over there?" she fell right into line for the rest of the date.
We're together two years later, and she still tests me from time to time. Sometimes, a mere threat of, "you're going back into Pampers if you keep bratting." puts her in check, yet other times I feel she's in need of that crinkly reminder.
Regarding A's comment about brattiness, I can understand why he dislikes it. You see, I'm both Daddy and Master to my slave, however those two faces of my Dominance perceive bratting very differently. As a Daddy, I understand that its necessary that my slave test her boundaries as a function of her healthy growth, yet as a Master, I demand complete obedience and thus I view brattiness (SASing, SAMing, etc.) as a sign of disrespect.
In our dynamic, I've resolved these conflicting beliefs with rituals; these may neither be tested nor broken. I view anything otherwise as an act of blatant disrespect. For example, she may never touch or tamper with her diaper, and thus must ask for a change or wait until I'm ready to change her should I dismiss her request. Strict adherence to this rule satisfies the Master in me. Though rituals may not be bratted, everything else is fair game. Fortunately for her, I impose few rituals upon her, and only one rule -- Obey or leave -- and fortunately again for her, she never tests that absolute.
Developing this synthesis between Daddy and Master has been challenging at times, but I've found it works well for us. she needs to test her limits from time to time, and I need to know that my word cannot be contested. By communicating these needs to each other, I think we've become better at smoothing out the bumps, making for a hotter D/s relationship.
And though I'll never admit it to her, there's a small part of me that enjoys an occasional bratty remark because it sometimes leads to added, sponteneous play time. And sometimes, the best punishment to give her is by bratting her back. This Daddy is a champ at that. ;)