LEO: GROWING UP IN A MATRIARCHAL HOME, Part Three

As I mentioned in my previous post, in the matriarchal homes ruled over by my mother and her sister, female birthdays were always celebrated as great events. It was, for instance, on my older sister’s 18th birthday (as already noted) that she was given pretty much full authority over me and lost no time in turning me into her personal servant (and very happily so for me, as  I’ve said).It was on that same birthday, I recall, that my mother also gave my sister full authority over her father,* and believe me, my sister used her new higher position in the household in such a way that both Dad and I quickly learned early to fear her wrath. I will never forget a day when she gave Dad a harsh slapping because he had dared to say that he thought he deserved to be treated with more respect.The incident started when my sister told him to bring her a cup of coffee. It was actually a direct order, not a request, and she spoke it sharply (apparently she had had a bad day and was in a bad temper), but Dad did not obey instantly, which made her even angrier.
"Why are you keeping me waiting? I told you to bring me a coffee! Do it right now!" Dad took offense at being barked at like this, but tried to offer his objection in a polite way, as is expected of any male in a strict matriarchal household:"Dear, you don’t need to treat me that way. You can be a little respectful...""How dare you!” my sister shot back. “Just wait till Mom hears about the rude way you just answered me!"Hearing this threat, Dad backed down instantly and began to apologize, actually stammering in his attempt to make amends. It was at this point that my sister gave him a couple of harsh slaps. Dad simply closed his mouth and lowered his head, then went off to obey the order his daughter had just given. (Under our strict matriarchal rules, males may not raise a hand against any female, and certainly not to blunt or protect themselves from a physical reprimand.)Needless to say, my sister made good on her threat to tell Mom what had happened. That night my father received additional harsh face slaps from his ruling wife and was then made to squeal under the severity of her thick leather belt.And, yes, I think it’s safe to say that his overall deference and service to his daughter were greatly improved as a result.


* Note from Thomas Lavalle: Attentive readers may note that this timeline accords approximately with the one suggested by Mistress Sandra (Commenting on the Post ‘FEMALE-LED FAMILIES:SUBMISSIVE DADS & DOMINANT DAUGHTERS’ ), i.e., “Later, as a girl gets older, around her late teens, she may be ready to start leading. And at this stage the fathers should be more open about taking orders from their daughters and waiting on them as the opportunities arise. By the time a girl turns 21, she is a woman and deserving of being shown the same respect and obedience as her mother. It would not be out of line if a mother decided that her daughter should be addressed with a 'Yes, Ma’am' and 'No, Ma’am' by her father. She should be in a position of authority to approve or deny any request by her father, and also be in full authority to assign him chores and discipline him as she sees fit. For her position of authority, if it is to be valid, must include the authority to discipline any male in her service.”

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