"Ready? One… two… three… down you go." Olivia plopped a giggling Amanda down on the bed.
"Mama, did you know that princesses don't have to take naps?" Little Mandy stated innocently while Mama gently changed her diaper.
"Is that so?" Olivia smiled, already knowing exactly where this conversation was going.
"Yeah. And you always say I'm your little princess." Amanda pointed out.
"Well, that is true. You are my little princess. But even princesses have to take naps when the queen says it's naptime. Queens and Mamas get to make decisions like that." Olivia countered.
Amanda pouted and snuggled into Mama's arms while Mama read her a Dr. Seuss book, and then indulgently read another when the little one begged for 'just one more story'. Then Mama tucked her into bed and tenderly kissed her forehead.
"Mama, I'm thirsty." Little Mandy said suddenly.
"You just had a glass of milk with lunch, baby."
"I know, but I'm thirsty again."
"All right. One tiny drink of water, then it's time to sleep."
Little Mandy accepted the glass that Mama handed her and sipped it as slowly as humanly possible, glancing at Mama out of the corner of her eye, clearly testing her to see what would happen.
"Mandy." Mama used a warning tone.
"All done." Amanda immediately handed over the glass.
"Good girl." Olivia tucked Amanda back into bed and kissed her again.
"Where's Erica?" Amanda asked, looking around the room.
"Here she is." Olivia handed over the doll.
"Mama, I'm not tired. Can't I come watch TV with you?"
"No, baby. It's naptime. Maybe we can watch a movie tonight after your bath."
With one final kiss, Olivia left the room. It was barely five minutes later when Little Mandy crawled out of bed and found Mama on the couch.
"Mama, I can't sleep."
"Honey, you haven't even tried to sleep. Come along, back to bed with you."
Mama picked Little Mandy up and carried her back to her bed. Less than a minute later, the mischievous little girl crawled out of bed again, but Mama was waiting right outside her bedroom door to put her back in bed. Olivia sat down on the bed and rubbed Little Mandy's back and stroked her hair, trying to soothe her to sleep. It seemed to be working and the little one's eyelids drooped. Olivia got up and left the room again, but Little Mandy crawled out of bed yet again and this time found Mama in the kitchen.
"And what are you doing out of bed again, little miss?"
"I want cuddles, Mama."
"We just had cuddle time while we were reading. When you wake up from your nap I will hold you and cuddle you as much as you want."
"I'm thirsty again."
"Your cup is still in your room. Come here."
Mama put Little Mandy back in her bed. Little Mandy crawled out of bed again, but once again, Mama was waiting for her just outside the bedroom door. Olivia picked her up and carried her back into her room and put her back in bed.
"Mandy, we are not playing this game anymore. If you get up again without a good reason before the clock says 2:30, Mama will give you a spanking." Olivia warned sternly.
'Big girl' Amanda was spanked sometimes, but so far Little Mandy had never been spanked and her deep blue eyes grew wide. Mama popped her bottom occasionally, sometimes playfully sometimes sternly, but Little Mandy had never had a proper spanking over Mama's lap. Mama had threatened to spank her a few times, but so far just the threat of a spanking had been enough to make Little Mandy straighten up.
"Yes, Mama."
"I'll set your alarm for you so you'll know when it's time. If you really can't sleep, then just lie here quietly and rest."
"Yes, Mama. I love you." Little Mandy snuggled under the covers clutching Erica in her arms.
"I love you too, sweetheart." Olivia kissed Amanda again and left the room again.
About half an hour later, Olivia went to check on Amanda. She hadn't heard a peep out of her and assumed that she had finally fallen asleep, but when she looked into the room she found Little Mandy sitting on her bedroom floor surrounded by doll clothes and accessories, carefully brushing Erica's hair. Little Mandy looked like a deer caught in headlights when she looked up at her stern-looking Mama with her hands on her hips.
"Mandy, what are you doing out of bed again? Mama already told you multiple times that it's time to take a nap."
"I know, Mama. I think I'll go to sleep now." Little Mandy got up and scrambled back into bed.
"Yes, you will go to sleep, but unfortunately, you'll go to sleep with a sore, red bottom." Olivia sat down on the bed.
"No, Mama, don't beat me!" Little Mandy burst into fearful sobs.
"Oh, sweetheart, Mama would never do that!" Olivia picked Amanda up and cuddled her on her lap.
Little Mandy sobbed for several long minutes, slowly calming down as Mama cuddled and rocked her. When the frightened little one finally stopped crying so hard, Mama held out her hands in front of her.
"Look, baby girl. Look at Mama's hands. I don't have any straps or belts or switches, I promise."
Little Mandy examined Mama's gentle hands. It was true, she wasn't holding any of those things. At the moment, Mama wasn't even wearing a belt.
"No ice?" Little Mandy trembled in fear.
"We have some in the fridge, but in this house we use ice for drinks, not to put inside little girls." Olivia assured her lovingly.
"Mama, please don't spank me!" Amanda pleaded.
"Mama doesn't like punishing you, little one, but do you remember what Mama said would happen if you got out of bed again without a good reason?"
"Yes, Mama. You said I would get a spanking." Amanda's lower lip trembled.
"That's right. Mama is going to put you over my lap, pull down your pants and diaper, and spank your bottom with my hand. Only your bottom, nowhere else, I promise."
"Will it hurt?" tears filled Little Mandy's deep blue eyes again.
"Yes, precious, I'm afraid it will hurt. You can cry as much as you want and after it's over I'll hold you for as long as you want."
Little Mandy just stared at Mama in confusion. 'Big girl' Amanda's parents had never comforted her after a beating, so the idea of being held after her spanking was a foreign concept. With a heavy heart, Olivia pulled down Amanda's pants and diaper. Little Mandy was crying before the spanking even started, convinced that something horrible was about to happen. Olivia raised up her hand and brought it down sharply on her little girl's bare bottom. Olivia quickly fell into a steady rhythm and spanked Little Mandy's poor bottom to a painful shade of deep cherry red. The little girl sobbed and wailed right from the beginning, clearly distraught and Olivia did her best to block out Amanda's sobbing, her heart breaking for her precious little one. By the time it was over, Little Mandy was sobbing so hard that she was making no sound, lying limp across Mama's lap convinced that she was going to be spanked forever. Olivia let Amanda rest across her lap for several minutes until the blonde realized that she was no longer being spanked.
"Mama… Mama… no more! Please… no more!" Little Mandy wailed between sobs.
"No more, lovey. No more spanking for my sweet Mandy. It's all over." Olivia blinked back her own tears, tenderly rubbing Little Mandy's punished bottom.
"I'll be good!" Little Mandy vowed between sobs.
"I know, sweetie. You're a very good girl. Mama is so proud of you for being so brave."
"What's that?" Little Mandy asked when she felt Mama rubbing something cool onto her bottom.
"This is called arnica cream. It will help the pain go away faster." Mama explained.
Mama picked Little Mandy up and cuddled her for a long time while Little Mandy sobbed and wailed on Mama's chest, clinging to Mama for dear life.
"Mama, I'm sorry!" Little Mandy wailed.
"I know, precious. Mama knows you're sorry and Mama forgives you."
"Don't hate me!" Little Mandy wailed.
"Oh, sweetheart, Mama will never hate you. No matter what, Mama will always love you forever and ever. Just because I had to spank you doesn't mean that I don't love you just as much as I always have." Olivia cooed lovingly.
Very slowly, Little Mandy calmed in Mama's arms, too distraught to even notice the tears in Mama's eyes. Olivia listened to her little girl sob, feeling horrible knowing that she was the reason Amanda was crying, even though she knew she had done the right thing for Amanda. If this arrangement was going to work and be beneficial for Amanda, then Little Mandy had to learn that Mama was in charge, and Little Mandy had certainly gotten that message loud and clear today. Little Mandy snuggled deeper into Mama's arms. She couldn't explain it, but as fearful as she had been earlier, she now felt perfectly safe and comforted in Mama's arms being tenderly cuddled and rocked.
"That's my good girl." Olivia cooed, tenderly stroking Amanda's long blonde hair and gently rubbing her bottom to soothe the pain.
"Mama, it hurts!" Little Mandy sobbed as if Mama didn't already know that.
"I know it hurts, my angel. It's supposed to hurt to teach you that what Mama says goes. But it will feel better soon, I promise. Such a brave girl." Olivia kissed Amanda's head.
Finally, Amanda stopped crying but still stayed cuddled in Mama's arms feeling sad and vulnerable while Mama soothed her with gentle words of love and tender praise. Little Mandy's eyelids began to droop and she fell asleep in Mama's arms. Olivia held Amanda for another thirty minutes before tucking her into her bed on her stomach with Erica tucked underneath Amanda's arm. Then she spent another thirty minutes watching Amanda sleep. She looked at Amanda's bottom. It was certainly a well punished bottom, but it would be thoroughly healed by tomorrow. Olivia felt a flash of judgmental rage at Beth Anne and Jim Rollins, thinking about Amanda's childhood and the trauma that Amanda was struggling to overcome. She hoped that this little arrangement of theirs would be beneficial to Amanda in some way. The therapist would have to do the rest.
Little Mandy slept for about another hour. When she woke up, she winced and reached back to rub her bottom. She looked around the room and when she didn't see her Mama right away, she began to get scared.
"Mama!"
"Mama's right here, baby." Olivia appeared almost instantly.
"I woke up and you were gone." Little Mandy whimpered with a trembling lower lip.
"My sweet girl. Mama's right here." Olivia assured her as she gently changed Amanda's diaper.
"Will you hold me again, Mama?" Little Mandy asked hopefully.
"As much as you want, sweetheart. Do you want to go cuddle in the rocker?"
Mama carried Little Mandy out to the big, comfy chair and cuddled Little Mandy on her lap.
"Do you want Mama to turn on cartoons?" Olivia offered.
"No, Mama. I just want you to hold me." Little Mandy snuggled deeper into Mama's arms, popping a pacifier into her mouth. Little Mandy gazed up at Mama and listened while Mama showered her with tender words of love and gentle praise.