Olivia was startled when she heard a loud crash, followed by a frightened cry and the sound of running feet. She dried her hands on a towel and hurried into the other room where Little Mandy had been playing, concerned that her baby had been hurt. Little Mandy was nowhere to be found, but there was a vase of flowers on the coffee table that had been smashed into pieces, and Little Mandy's favorite rainbow-colored rubber ball was lying on the floor next to the coffee table. Olivia sighed and carefully cleaned up the mess. She picked up the ball from the floor and went in search of her beloved little girl, knowing exactly where to find her; the same place she always found her whenever Amanda was convinced that she was about to be beaten and abused - her bedroom closet. Olivia opened the closet door and, sure enough, there was Little Mandy curled up fetal on the floor already sobbing hysterically. Olivia knelt down on the floor so that she wasn't towering over the frightened blonde.
"Are you hurt, my love?" Olivia inquired kindly. She couldn't see any cuts on Amanda's delicate skin, so that was reassuring.
"N-no, M-M-Mama." Little Mandy sobbed.
"Well, that's good. Would you like to come cuddle in the rocker with Mama? I would love to hold my baby right now, but I don't think this closet is big enough for two people." Olivia held out her arms.
Little Mandy shrank back momentarily. She adored being cuddled in the rocker, but she didn't understand why Mama was being so gentle with her. She hesitantly looked up into Mama's eyes, expecting to see rage and disgust. Instead, she was shocked to see love and patience radiating from Mama's eyes and she felt her body relax a tiny bit. She knew that she was probably in trouble for playing with her ball in the house and breaking the vase, but Mama didn't seem angry. Little Mandy whimpered; as a child in Georgia, a similar situation had occurred in which Amanda and Kim were playing with a frisbee in the house and had broken their mother's favorite antique vase. Kim had been let off with a light scolding. Amanda had endured a beating. The blonde took a deep, shuddery breath and slowly inched her way out of the closet and into Mama's open arms.
"Mama, no beat me. No ice. I sorry." Little Mandy whimpered fearfully, retreating further into 'little' space.
"I know you're sorry, baby. No beating for my sweet baby girl, and no ice, I promise. Right now, you and Mama are just going to go cuddle for a while." Olivia said gently.
Olivia settled Little Mandy on her lap and cuddled her close while they rocked in the big, comfy chair. She knew that she was going to have to spank Little Mandy for playing with her ball in the house, but she wasn't going to do it while she was hysterical. Trying to discipline Amanda while she was trapped in the past would teach her nothing and it would hurt her more than help her. Discipline could wait for a while, right now Amanda needed to be cuddled and babied and reassured that she was safe. Little Mandy sobbed on Mama's chest, clinging to her for dear life. Olivia reached underneath Little Mandy's t-shirt to rub her back and the gentle touch seemed to help soothe the frightened little one. After a while, Amanda stopped sobbing so hard and slowly calmed until she was merely sniffling and whimpering. Olivia shifted Little Mandy's position on her lap so that she was still cuddled safe in Mama's arms but in a more reclined position so that they could look at each other. Olivia reached underneath Little Mandy's t-shirt to gently rub her belly to provide further soothing. Skin to skin contact was vital.
"Mama, I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Little Mandy sniffled.
"I know, princess, you are already forgiven. We're going to talk about it, but right now we're just going to get very relaxed and calm." Olivia said gently. Little Mandy's body was still very tense in her arms, ready to dart straight back to the safety of the closet if things went sour.
"Mama, paci please."
"Good girl, so polite." Olivia praised lovingly, popping a pacifier into Little Mandy's mouth.
Finally, Olivia felt Little Mandy's body completely relax in her arms. She looked into Little Mandy's deep blue eyes and no longer saw fear or panic, she only saw trust and a little bit of guilt, so she knew that it was time to deal with the matter at hand. Olivia picked up the rubber ball.
"Okay, sweetie, let's talk. Do you remember when you got this for your birthday how we talked about this being an outside toy only?"
"Yes, Mama. Because lots of things could break inside." Little Mandy said, removing the pacifier from her mouth so she could answer properly.
"That's right. I know you didn't mean to break the vase, it was only an accident. Accidents happen sometimes, and that's okay. But if you had been obeying the rule, then it wouldn't have happened. I don't give you rules just to hear myself talk, I expect you to obey Mama's rules. Do you understand?" In reality, Olivia couldn't care less about the vase itself. It was only a cheap one from Walmart and could easily be replaced. The most important issue was Little Mandy's disobedience.
"Yes, Mama. Please don't spank me." Little Mandy's lower lip trembled.
"You're a very good girl, baby. Mama doesn't like spanking you any more than you like being spanked, but because of how much I love you, there are always going to be consequences for naughty behavior."
"Mr. Spoon?" Little Mandy asked sadly.
"No, sweetie, just Mama's hand today. Mr. Spoon can stay sleeping in his drawer, he had quite a workout helping Mama make breakfast this morning, he's tired. Let's go to your room and we'll get this over with as fast as we can, okay?" Olivia had never heard Little Mandy give the wooden spoon a name before, but she wasn't going to make a big deal of it. All little ones liked to name things, it was natural.
"Okay." Little Mandy agreed reluctantly. The rocker was her safe space, Mama never punished her anywhere near it. Only cuddling, comforting, and babying happened in the rocker.
Little Mandy didn't fight it as Mama pulled her pants and diaper down to her knees and laid her across her lap. The first spank always made her jump, and Little Mandy soon began to cry. Her hand rose from the comforter and began to travel back to cover her bottom, but she quickly snatched her hand back in front of her, knowing that Mama wouldn't like it if she reached back.
"Good girl." Mama praised.
Even through her tears, Little Mandy's heart warmed at Mama's praise. It didn't matter if she was in trouble, Mama was still going to praise her if she did something good, and taking her spanking like a big girl definitely qualified as something good.
"Owwwwwwww! Mama, it huuuuuuuuurrrrrrrts!" Little Mandy cried.
"I know it hurts, baby girl. It's supposed to hurt." Olivia said kindly.
"I won't play with my ball in the house ever again! I promise!"
In Little Mandy's mind, it seemed to go on for hours, but in reality her spanking lasted for only a few minutes. Olivia heard the sound of Little Mandy's crying change from loud wailing to deep sobbing, and the spanking was immediately over. Little Mandy laid limp over Mama's lap and sobbed while Mama very gently rubbed her sore, red bottom with a generous portion of arnica. Then she picked Little Mandy up and carried her back out to the big, comfy rocker that had comforted Little Mandy countless times after spankings.
"That's Mama's good girl. It's all over, my angel. There, there. You took your spanking like a good girl and it's all over and forgiven now. Just cry it out, little one. You're a good girl." Olivia cooed lovingly, gently rubbing Little Mandy's bottom to soothe the pain.
"I love you, Mama." Little Mandy sobbed.
"Oh, I love you too, sweetheart, nothing will ever change that. You're Mama's precious baby."
Little Mandy stayed cuddled in Mama's arms long after she stopped crying, chattering away about all the things little girls love to talk about. She smiled happily as Mama showered her with praise and affection.
"Mama, my belly is talking." Little Mandy giggled when her belly called for attention.
"I guess that means my girl is hungry. Time for a snack." Olivia smiled.
"Can I have a bagel with melted cheese?" Little Mandy asked hopefully.
"I think Mama ate the last bagel for breakfast this morning. How about a slice of banana bread?"
"Yummy. Can I have milk in my sippy cup?"
"Yes, of course you can. Let's go change you into a fresh diaper and then we'll have a snack."
"After I eat my snack, can we cuddle more?"
"Yes, baby, we can cuddle as much as you want."
After her snack, the idea of more cuddle time quickly went out the window in favor of play time. Little Mandy giggled wildly as she ran through the apartment being chased by the Mama monster, squealing in delight when the Mama monster caught her.