Thank you for all your comments! They get my adrenaline pumping! I hope everyone is well and you had a good vacation despite this covid-19 crisis.

Enjoy!

Authority

"Sit down," Ethan ordered sternly. The Lawson children obeyed.

"Several men in town have told me that you are disrespectful or downright rude! This behavior stops now! I know you miss your father James, I miss him too. But I want you to honor his name by behaving as he would have liked, with respect. Look at me! From this moment on you will answer to me if there is any problem with your behavior. I will not hesitate to treat you like I do my own children and like your father would if he were alive! This means that I am going to punish you like he would have done. I am going to spank you without any hesitation. Am I clear enough?"

"Yes, Uncle Ethan." They said.

"I want you to apologize to your mother, and the three of you to go to bed right after supper for the rest of the week. This is punishment for everything I've heard today."

"Yes sir, sorry Ma," they said.

"Apologies accepted," she replied.

"Well Adam, come over here," Ethan pulled the child onto his knees and spanked him a single spank on the boy's pants.

"Jason, come here"

"Uncle Ethan, please! I don't want to be spanked!"

"I'm sure you don't, I've decided, and I'm not changing my mind! Come here Jason!"

He turned the child over his knees and also spanked one smack over his pants, before hugging him.

"Jessie, come here."

"But I'm a girl, Uncle Ethan!"

Ethan hid a smile, he had heard that before! Did all the little girls in the world think they were safe from a spanking?

"I noticed!" He said. "No difference to me, girl or not, you do things wrong, you bear the consequences like your brothers! I'll be clear, if one day I have to give you a complete spanking, I will, without any hesitation! Understood?"

"Yes sir!" She said, subdued.

"Alright, come on, over my knees" and in turn, he spanked her over her dress, before hugging her.

"I love you all but this behavior stops today or I promise to be more severe! Jessie and Jason, please go introduce your mother to my children. They are in front of the school. I need some time alone with Adam."

"Adam, go wait in your room, I want to talk to you about what happened this morning with your mother."

As the three left, Adam turned white, he just knew his uncle Ethan was going to remove his belt! His father would have done it so he knew Ethan would too. He quickly left the room.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Ethan, don't whip me!" I will not ever do it again!" Adam begged the minute his uncle walked into his room.

"Your behavior is unacceptable Adam! Striking a woman is completely forbidden!" Ethan growled sternly. "A man who lifts his hand to a woman is not a man! He is nothing!"

"Technically you put your hand on Jessie," Adam replied defiantly.

"Look at me Adam! A well deserved spanking administered by an authority figure to a disobedient child has nothing to do with what you did! What would your father have done?"

"He wouldn't have done anything!" Replied the child loudly.

"In your position, I will avoid answering disrespectfully young man! This will be your only warning." Ethan said. "Answer my question."

"He would have whipped me with his belt."

"Exactly! And believe me, if you raise your hand to a woman again, I will deliver a whipping to you with my razor strop on your bare behind! That's a promise! Am I clear?" Ethan sat down on the bed and put the twelve year old boy in front of him.

"Yes sir."

"You're going to get this spanking over your underwear for your behavior this time."

Ethan undid the button on the boy's pants, pulled them to his ankles, leaving his underwear in place. Holding the child on his knees and spanking him firmly, right, left, middle, over and over again. As he applied his hand, he couldn't help but think of James, "NEVER lay hands on a woman, especially your mother! " He punctuated his words with six stronger smacks to the boy's throbbing backside.

"Yes sir, I promise you! Are you done… .Oww!"

And then Ethan decided he needed to make the point in a way the boy would never forget, was it James speaking? Without thinking he lowered the child's underwear as he raised his knee to access his thighs, Ethan slapped his hand three times on each side before stopping and rubbing the boy's back. Leaving him to cry and calm down over his knees, he put his trousers back up. When he felt Adam calm down, he sat him down on his lap and hugged him. Offering the love and comfort he knew the child needed.

"I love you Adam, out of friendship and respect for your father, I won't let you be the kind of man who hits women! You won't leave your room until morning. I will tell your mum to bring your dinner."

"Yes, Uncle Ethan, I'm sorry, I won't do it again." He said through sobs, clinging to Ethan's neck.

"I hope so, Adam, I don't want to have to repeat this lesson, but I will!" Ethan said returning the hug to the child.

At dinner at home that evening, the discussion was lively, with each child recounting their day

"I played baseball with Adam, he's nice." said Joseph.

"Mrs. Dodd said I knew all my numbers and letters," continued George delighted.

"I played trapdoor with Carry, Jason and Jessie. We had a lot of fun!" Ben explained.

"I passed all the questions on the test with ease, I don't think I lost too much by not completing my studies for a while." Claire informed him.

The reaction of the children to school made the man smile, he already knew who preferred the inside of the school rather than the outside.

"Me too! I want to go to school!" Tess said.

Ethan quickly and discreetly put a finger to his mouth so the children wouldn't comment on Tess' sudden speech in front of her. The children smiled at him, they understood.

"Tess, you must be at least five years old to be allowed in school. Time flies my heart. You'll soon be old enough but until then you can play. We can also play school at home. Your sister and brothers will teach you." Ethan explained.

"Two years is too long!" She answered.

Ethan was extremely surprised by her reply. "How do you know it's going be two years?" Ethan asked.

"I know. George is five and two years older than me."

She hasn't learned math yet but could figure this out. He was amazed and proud.

"Your friend asked us to call her 'Aunt Amelia' and she's nice. Are you okay with us doing that, Pa? Claire asked, to be sure.

"Yes Claire, I suggested it. Since I am called uncle by her children, it made sense to me. Did Mrs. Dodd give you a list of school supplies?"

"Yes Pa but four of everything ... lunch pails, slates, slate pencils, writing pencils, lined tablets ... it's going to cost you dearly! I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize and don't worry about the money, Claire. I'm your father, it's my job! To reassure you, I promise you that I already have four slates, pencils and tablets ready! " Ethan clarified.

"Yes, Pa." she said with a smile.

"Tess, don't throw your little fork and spoon on the floor. Pick them up and put them next to your plate, please." Ethan said.

"No!" Tess said, sticking her tongue out at Ethan.

Everyone was shocked! The child had suddenly gone from always obedient to disrespectful!

"You don't say 'no' to me little girl!" Ethan said, scolding lightly. "You will do as I say and you will leave your tongue in your mouth. Do you want to be punished?"

"I do not care!" She replied with a saucy look which Ethan did not recognize.

"Alright, go wait for me in the bedroom." Ethan ordered.

"No!"

Ethan picked the little girl up in his arms, swinging her on his hip and headed for the bedroom. Once there, he put Tess down and closed the curtain.

"What will he do?" Ben asked his older brother. "She''s only a baby!"

"The baby has turned into a sassy little girl!" Joseph answered.

"If we answered Papa like that, we'd be on over his knees by the second," George said.

"She barely started speaking," Ben explained. "What if she doesn't speak again after he punishes her?"

"That's enough!" Claire exclaimed. "You know better than to talk about punishing others! Pa will be fair! If he decides to spank Tess, it will be with love, explaining why. He won't deliver anything more than she can take for her age! Just like he's done with us! You should know by now, Pa's taking care of it and that's none of our business! Is that clear?"

"Yes Claire." the boys said together. It is best to agree when she used that tone.