At 4pm, Noah’s mom arrived at the school to pick him up. The Rottweiler pup had just started high school a few weeks ago, and already was getting into quite a bit of trouble. This particular day, he had to stay an extra hour for after-school detention due to a heated altercation with a teacher.

	Mom entered the classroom where Noah was being held. She saw her son in the back; baggy black clothes, and sulking with his floppy hair over his face. Definitely Noah.

	“You must be Mrs. Rottweiler”, said the detention teacher Ms. Spaniel.

	“Yes. What happened this time? I heard there was an altercation with a teacher?” asked Mrs. Rottweiler.

	“Yes, during math class. According to the transcript I’d received, what happened was that Mr. Shepard asked Noah if he had his homework with him. Noah felt that Mr. Shepard’s tone was condescending, so he muttered to himself that Mr. Shepard was an ‘asswipe’. Overhearing this, Mr. Shepard told Noah, “Young man, would it kill you to show a little respect for your teacher?”. To which, Noah replied “Why should I? You don’t respect me”, and then called him a word I… would rather not repeat. Mr. Shepard told Noah to go to the principal’s office, at which point, Noah threw a pencil at Mr. Shepard, which struck him in the right temple”.

	“Oh my god, Noah.”, Mom said to herself, extremely disappointed.

	“Given that this constitutes an assault, Noah would be expelled under normal circumstances. However, Mr. Shepard has generously convinced the principal to give Noah a three-week suspension, followed by a probation period to see if his behavior has improved. In the meantime, his schoolwork will be forwarded to you so he can do it at home. The hope is that you and his father will be able to correct his behavior in this time frame.”

	Mom had her head in her hands. “OK… tell Mr. Shepard that I apologize for my son’s behavior, and thank you very much for not expelling him. His father and I are definitely going to have a lot to say to him.” 

Noah and his mom didn’t speak at all on the car ride home. It wasn’t until she pulled into the driveway and shut the engine off that she finally spoke to him.

	“Son… can you just… tell me why you did any of that? What was going through your head?”

	Noah looks up at his mom. “Well first of all, I didn’t mean to hit Mr. Shepard. I was trying to throw the pencil at the wall because I was pissed off, and his head got in the way. I just hate that guy, he always talks to me like I’m an idiot and he’s so much smarter than me.”

	“Well, he certainly seems to think more of you than you realize, because he was the one who talked your expulsion down to a suspension.”

	“Tch. He probably just wants me back in class so he has someone to talk down to.”

	“Even if you didn’t mean it, you should know that throwing things is dangerous. If you didn’t hit Mr. Shepard, you could have hit someone else. You could have put someone’s eye out.”

	Noah looked at the floor and didn’t respond.

	“When we go in, I want you to go straight to your room. I need to talk with your father. This is something we need to address immediately.”

	“Fine.” Noah said, getting out of the car. Mom sighed and sat in the car for another minute, processing the whole situation, before pulling up the browser on her phone.

Half an hour passes. Mr. Rottweiler, Noah’s dad, was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a glass of iced tea when he noticed his wife finally enter the door. “Hi, honey. You were sitting in a car for an awfully long time. Everything go OK with Noah’s teacher?”

	Mom put her purse down on the table. “Well apparently, Noah threw a pencil at his math teacher and got suspended for three weeks.”

	Dad looked up at her in shock. “He what?!”

	“Yeah, apparently, they were going to expel him, but they said they would only suspend him if we can ‘correct his behavior’.”

	Dad suddenly stood up. “When I heard he got detention, I thought it was because he kept forgetting his homework. I’m going to go up there and whip his ass right now!”

	“Dear, please!” Mom pleaded.

	Dad stopped in his tracks. *sigh* “I know, I know. Not when I’m angry. But believe me, I’ll be damned if I let this go unpunished.”

	“I understand, dear. He’s earned a spanking, I’ll agree with that. But we’re gonna need to do more than just punish him physically if we want him to behave.”

	“Well, like what?” Dad asked.

	“I went on my phone earlier to figure that out”, said Mom, pulling out her phone. “I found a website that has a discipline regimen for unruly teenagers… it’s a little out-there, though”. She shows her phone to Dad, who has a puzzled look on his face as he reads.

	“Wow, no kidding. But… I think it might actually work, drastic as it is.”

	“Should we get started right away?”

	“Yeah, I reckon so.”
	“OK, great. I’ll run out and get the supplies. I might be gone a while”, Mom said, picking up her purse.

	“That’s fine, honey”, said Dad. “That’ll give me time to talk to him. His bottom is scheduled for a meeting with a wooden spoon, anywhow.”

Noah is lying on his bed when he hears a knock at the door. “It’s open!”, he yells. Dad walks into the room and sits down on the foot of the bed.

	“Son, your mother and I are very disappointed in you. You very nearly got yourself expelled from school today, and you only just started a few weeks ago. You disrespected your teacher and assaulted him.”

	Noah scoffed. “Did Mom happen to mention that was an accident?”

	“It doesn’t matter, you knew what you were doing when you threw that pencil! And it’s not just that; all summer long, you barely spent any time at home. When you weren’t staying at your friends’ houses doing god-knows-what all night, you were staying out well past curfew. And I know at least one of your little friends is vaping. Now, I’m not saying you were partaking, but I know on more than one occasion you’ve come home smelling like cotton candy, and I don’t remember any damn carnivals in town. And now you’re getting in trouble at school, not doing your homework and getting into fights with teachers… what’s gonna happen next, Noah? Are you gonna turn to a life of crime? Am I gonna be visiting you in juvie?”

	Noah scoffed. “Come on, Dad, you don’t really believe that.”

	“I don’t know what to believe, son. I hate to admit it, but you’ve become quite a brat lately. That ends today”. Saying this, Mr. Rottweiler stands up and pulls the wooden spoon out of his pocket. “You know the drill, son. Pants down”.

	Noah sat up in his bed, stunned. “Seriously, Dad? You haven’t spanked me since I was eight!”

	“Yeah? Maybe that’s the problem. Now come on, pants and underwear down and lie face-down. I won’t ask again”.

	Noah, feeling angry and embarrassed, pulled down his black jeans and green briefs and laid back down on his bed, bare bottom now exposed. Dad holds the boy’s tail out of the way with one hand and begins to spank his bottom with the wooden spoon in the other hand. 

	*SMACK* 

	Noah yelps out in shock. He forgot how much spankings can hurt, especially with Dad’s strength.

	*SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK*

	Dad alternated blows between each cheek. Noah was clutching his pillow and gritting his teeth with each hit.

	 *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK*

	By now, Noah was grunting in pain, and tears started to swell in his eyes.  

	*SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* 

	When all was said and done, Noah’s father lands a total of fourteen smacks on the boy’s rear, one for each year he’s been alive.  “OK, son. Your spanking is over, you can pull your pants back up when you’re ready. But just so you know, this isn’t the end of your punishment. Not even close”. Dad leaves the room and closes the door behind him, leaving Noah, still sniffling, to collect himself.

After being gone for more than two hours, Mom finally arrives home with all the supplies she needs for Noah’s continued discipline, as well as takeout food since it had gotten too late to cook supper. Noah noticed that she was carrying several large bags, as well as a very large box, into the house.

	“What’s all that stuff, Mom?” he asked.

	“All of this is the answer to your attitude problems. But we’re not going to worry about that right now. Right now, it’s time for supper”. Mom put the food on the table and the three of them began to make their plate. Noah was still very curious about what was in all the packages, but at the same time, he knew he probably didn’t want to know. The family sat down at the table and ate together, with Noah’s dad having graciously offered him a cushion for his still-sore bottom.

	Once supper was over, Mom and Dad went into the living room where the bags of stuff were. Dad grabbed some of the bags and headed upstairs, while Mom sat down on the couch and gestured for Noah to come over.

	“All right, Noah”, Mom said, “it’s time to show you exactly what’s going to happen for the next three weeks”. Saying this, she pulled a package out of one of the shopping bags, which caused Noah to look at it with raised eyebrows. It was a pack of diapers. The front of the package was covered in cutesy designs despite being large enough that they were clearly made to fit on a teenager.

	“Are those diapers?”, Noah said, confused. “I don’t understand”.

	“This is how we’re going to discipline you, Noah. For the next three weeks, you are going to wear and use these diapers”. 

	Noah looked at his mom, incredulous. “You’re joking, right? This is a joke.”

	“I’m not joking, Noah, and this isn’t a decision I made lightly”. Mom pulled out a large changing mat and unfolded it on the floor. 

	“No way! I’m not wearing a diaper!” Noah protested.

	“I’m afraid you don’t have a say in the matter, young man. If you won’t agree to putting a diaper on, then I’ll just have to spank you until you do. Now come over here so we can get started.”

	Noah grumbled before reluctantly walking closer to his mother. She unbuttoned his jeans and pulled his pants and underwear to the ground, which caused the young pup to curl his tail under his legs to hide his privates.

	“Nothing I haven’t seen before. Lay down, please”. Noah laid down on the changing mat, crossing his arms and pouting just to make it clear that he didn’t approve of what was currently happening. After sliding a diaper underneath Noah’s butt, Mom held his tail out of the way so she could apply some baby powder. This made Noah blush and cover his face in embarrassment, but soon she was finished and his diaper was fully taped up. Noah looked down at the diaper; it was a fairly thick white diaper with baby blue accents, including little candy patterns. A stark contrast from the black band t-shirt he was wearing over it.

	“You said I have to use the diaper, too?”, Noah asked. “Like… go in it?”

	“Yes. Both number 1 and number 2. And no changing your own diapers, only your father or I can do that.”

	“But why?”

	“It’s supposed to teach you trust and reliance, as well as strengthening the parent/child relationship”.

	Noah grumbled slightly. He attempted to reach for his pants, but his mother quickly grabbed them before he could.

	“No no, I’m afraid those are off-limits. You’ll have to go pantsless while at home, that way we can easily see when you need to be changed.”

	Noah crossed his arms again. “This is so fucking stupid.”

	“Oh, that reminds me”, Mom said, pulling out yet another object from the bag; it was a pacifier with a fastening belt attached to it. “You’ve had quite the potty mouth lately, and I don’t appreciate it. That’s why I got you this pacifier gag. Every time you say a naughty word, you’re getting this put on you. Because this is your first offense, you’ll only have to wear it for an hour. But every time you swear, you’ll have to wear it for longer and longer, and you’ll also get a spanking for your trouble”. Mom fastened the gag around Noah’s mouth and locked it in place. “The only way to get it off is with the key, so don’t think you can just take it off when I’m not looking.” Noah plopped down on the couch and continued to sulk, feeling absolutely infantile in his pacifier and diaper.

After some time had passed, Noah’s dad came back downstairs. “Oh, I see someone already found out what happens to potty mouths”, Dad said, alluding to the pacifier gag in Noah’s mouth. “Anyhow, I’m done up here if you two are ready.”

	“Rhhdh fhh whhh?” Noah attempted to ask through the pacifier.

	“No talking during pacifier time, dear.” Mom said. “And come upstairs with us so you can see some of the other changes you’ll be adjusting to”. The two walked upstairs, and as Noah entered his room, the first thing that immediately caught his attention was a tall, mesh-based side railing installed around his bedframe.

	“This will be your crib”, Dad said, gesturing to the bed. “Bedtime is at 9pm, and the sides will be locked at night so you can’t escape. But don’t worry, if you need anything, you can call us through the baby monitor”, he said, gesturing to a cutesy speaker sitting on the nightstand. He then held up a set of blue footy pajamas draped on the railing. “We also got you some new PJs”. Noah continued to pout. 

	Dad then opened Noah's underwear drawer, revealing that the contents had been replaced with packs of diapers. "As you can see, all of your underwear has been confiscated, as well as your pants. If we go somewhere, we'll give you some pants to wear. But otherwise, it's just diapers around the house. Now, there's one last thing you need to see. Come with me to your bathroom."

	The three entered the bathroom across the hall. Dad turned on the light and pointed to a device mounted on the lid of the toilet seat. "This is a toilet lock. This is to make sure you aren't tempted to use the big boy potty and use your diapers like you're supposed to. It's bolted in place, and I've also disabled the safety mechanism, so the only way to remove it is for me to uninstall it completely." Dad took out a small key and unlocked Noah's gag, removing the drooly pacifier from his mouth. "Any questions?"

	"When is this going to be over?" Noah fussed.

	"Your diaper discipline is going to last for at least the three weeks of your suspension. If your behavior doesn't improve, then it will last longer and become stricter. However, if your behavior does improve, you may be able to earn some of your big boy privileges back before it's over."

	Mom looked over at the clock. "It's almost nine. You should brush your teeth and get ready for bed. And if you need to go in your diaper, now would be the time to do it, before you get your pajamas on."

	"Ok...". Noah went to brush his teeth, wondering whether or not he should go in his diaper. In truth, he needed to pee very badly, but he hadn't used a diaper in over ten years. He was so young when he was potty-trained that he couldn't even remember a time where he wore diapers... before today, anyway.

	Once his teeth were pearly-clean, Noah went back to his room, where his mother was waiting with his pajamas and diaper supplies. She pulled the t-shirt off of his head, leaving him in just a diaper. "If you need to go, now's your chance."

	Noah sighed and looked around embarrassed for a minute. "OK, just... please don't look". Mom averted her gaze while Noah let out a trickle, then a stream into his diaper. To his surprise, it didn't feel as weird as he thought it would; the diapers were quite absorbent, so besides the sound, it didn't feel all that different from just peeing in a toilet.

	"There, that wasn't so bad, was it? Now let's get you into a fresh diaper and your new PJs". Mom folded down the side railing and laid Noah down on the bed. She pulled the wet diaper out from under him. Noah once again instinctively pulled his tail up to cover himself, but Mom simply held it down while she powdered him again. With his diaper taped up, she helps him into his footy pajamas and closes the crib shut. "Good night, Noah. I love you."

	Mom shut the light off as she left the room. Noah curled up under his blankets, trying to calm the feelings of frustration he was feeling. As he was tossing around trying to get comfortable, he noticed something in the corner of the bed next to his pillow that he hadn't noticed until now: a stuffed bear with a green ribbon in its hair. Lifting it up to his face, Noah immediately recognized it; it was Sally, his favorite teddy bear from when he was a kid. Mom must have dug her out of storage, he thought. As if by instinct, Noah cuddled the bear close to his chest, his eyes watering from the unexpected surge of nostalgia.

	"Good night, Sally", he whispered to himself.