Sissy School

"I don't think so" said Dr. Goodman. "Len is smart enough to know that if he gets too careless he will be discovered. Yet he is seemingly getting more and more careless as time goes on. There is a sort of contradiction in his behavior here, unless of course..."

"He wants to be discovered!" said Jennifer. "But, no, it can't possibly be!"

"Consider this" said Dr. Goodman, "Let's look at the situation from a different perspective. Len has been doing this for quite some time, a year and perhaps longer. If he really wanted to avoid detection, he would almost certainly have purchased his own panties and bras by now. After all, they would be relatively easy to hide, and they are the garments that would most easily betray him if he made a mistake. One therefore has to ask, why hasn't he done this?"

Jennifer thought about this for a moment and could not find a flaw in the doctor's reasoning. Finally, she said, "OK, I am not sure I fully agree with you, but let's assume Len wants to be found out, what does that tell us?"

"Quite a bit" said Dr. Goodman. "However, let me ask you a question first, before I explain further. Do you consider yourself a strong disciplinarian?"

Jennifer thought for a moment, a bit surprised by the doctor's question. "I don't really know, exactly" she replied. "I had very little trouble with Len's sister Melanie. She was a good girl and I don't remember having to discipline her very often. On the other hand, being a boy, Len was more challenging. I raised Len to respect women and his elders, be polite, and so on. Boys can be strong willed and are prone to mischief, particularly when they think they can get away with it. This seems to be especially true when they are dealing with women, whom they naturally believe they can fool. Len was no different than most boys in this regard and I was forced to discipline him quite often when he was younger, and sometimes even now that he is older."

"And what kind of discipline did you use?"

Jennifer blushed and hesitated. "Well I tried all sorts of things: taking away privileges, sending him to his room, making him do extra chores, and so on."

"Which of these did you find most effective?"

Jennifer's blush depended and she sighed. "None of them; unfortunately, what seemed to work best was an old-fashioned over the knee bare-bottomed spanking. I know this is frowned upon and even regarded as abusive nowadays, but it's the only thing that seemed to work. It was especially effective when dealing with his sister. I used to let her watch when Len was disrespectful towards her. However, I am not an abusive parent, just a single mother trying to raise her son to be a decent person."

"I fully understand" said Dr. Goodman. "You seem to have done a fine job"

"Thank you" said Jennifer, feeling somewhat vindicated by the doctor's compliment.

"One more question" said Dr. Goodman." I don't mean to embarrass you, but can you tell me about your attitudes regarding sex? Especially with respect to Len's upbringing?

Jennifer blushed again and said "I'm not sure I follow."

"I'm not asking you about your sex-life, but rather how you feel about sex in general and its place in your life as well as your son's life."

"Oh" said Jennifer. "Well I was brought up in a very strict family. My mother insisted that I save my virginity till marriage, which I did. In general, I feel that sex is for procreation, should remain private, and only be allowed within marriage. I know this is also considered 'old-fashioned', but I believe in strong morals. I have tried to pass these onto Len and his sister."

"What about masturbation?"

"I regard that as self-abuse" said Jennifer somewhat defensively, her cheeks coloring.

"I ask, because males, as you well know, are chronic masturbators" said Dr. Goodman.

Jennifer flushed thinking again of the video she had just seen. "I know" she sighed. "I caught Len for the first time when he was about 13. I spanked him in front of his sister till my hand was numb and then warned him that if I ever caught him doing such a vile act again I would spank him so hard that he would not be able to sit for a week. It seemed to work for the most part, or at least I thought it did."

"Males have very little self-control in that area" agreed Dr. Goodman.

"Tell me about it" said Jennifer. "However, given what I have just seen, I guess I failed as a mother." And with that she started crying.

Dr. Goodman handed her some tissues and waited saying "No at all. You are being unfair and far too hard on yourself."

"What's to be done then?" asked Jennifer when she had regained her composure. "What's wrong with my son doctor?"

"Nothing" said Dr. Goodman. "However, given the strong role females have played in his life, his tendency to avoid male friends and traditional male activities and coupled with his overwhelming propensity to be around older women and to dress like them, I would say, that there is really only one conclusion to be made."

"And what is that?" said Jennifer anxiously.

"There are various technical labels or diagnoses like cross-gender identification or gender identity disorder which you can find in the DSM V, but in layman's terms, have you ever heard the term 'sissy'?" said Dr. Goodman.

"You mean Len is a coward?" said Jennifer confused again. "I am not sure what that has to do with his dressing-up or hanging around my girlfriends."

"No, not that kind of sissy" said Dr. Goodman. "I'm referring to sexual usage of the term, as often used within the BDSM community."

Jennifer blushed and said "Oh" nervously.

It was obvious to Dr. Goodman that Jennifer was not familiar with this usage of the term, so she explained "Originally sissy (which was derived from the word sister) was a pejorative term for a male who violated or failed to meet the prevailing cultural standards of male behavior. Commonly, this implied a lack of courage and/or strength, as you indicated. However, over time, the term has been appropriated and taken on different meanings with similar connotations. In particular in the BDSM community, the practice of forced feminization by a male submissive is often referred to as sissification. The cross-dressing male is called a sissy, usually as a form of erotic humiliation. This can elicit feelings of embarrassment in the male which in turn stimulates or increases sexual arousal which leads to further embarrassment, and so on, in an endless sort of feedback loop. Many males experience this, and it is often referred to as simply the Loop. But I digress. The main point is that some males desire to be dominated and controlled by women and forced to cross-dress as sign of their submission."

Jennifer blinked and was clearly nonplussed. Finally, she said "So you think Len is a...a sissy?"

"Yes" replied Dr. Goodman.

Jennifer's eyes filled with tears and she said "I can't believe it! This is awful! My son's a pervert. What am I going to do?"

Dr. Goodman waited patiently for her to stop crying and then said "I understand that you are upset by this, it's quite natural. However, Len is not a pervert."

"Not a pervert!" said Jennifer starting to cry again, "Then what is he? Surely his behavior is not normal!"

"His behavior is not normal in the sense that most males don't actively cross-dress and hang around women exclusively. However, it's far from being uncommon and as such, it's not abnormal in the sense you are implying" said Dr. Goodman.

Jennifer dried her eyes and said "Are you saying that I should just ignore his behavior and pretend that his cross-dressing and...and well, you know, his other activities are nothing to be concerned about, because they are not 'uncommon'?"

"That's certainly one option" said Dr. Goodman.

"But you don't think it's the one I should choose" said Jennifer, sensing some disagreement in Dr. Goodman's voice.

"No" said Dr. Goodman. "You are correct. I think there are better choices to be made here, ones that will ultimately be of greater benefit to you and to Len."

"And what are those?" demanded Jennifer.

"First you need to understand Len and what's going on with him" said Dr. Goodman gravely. "Otherwise the remedy for Len's problem will be difficult to grasp and impossible to accept."

Jennifer was taken aback by Dr. Goodman's statement and became concerned "Is Len's problem that serious? He's not going to commit suicide or have a mental breakdown?"

"No, nothing like that" said Dr. Goodman. "It's more a matter of his sense of well-being and happiness."

"Oh" said Jennifer, relieved to hear that her son was not suicidal or on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Then what's going on with him?"

"There are actually three distinct things going on simultaneously with Len and they are all closely coupled. "First, Len is a submissive, meaning that he craves to be controlled and dominated by women."

"You mean told what to do?" asked Jennifer.

"Yes, but much more than that." said Dr. Goodman. "He needs to have every detail of his life determined and controlled. Everything from what he wears to when he gets to masturbate and ejaculate."

Jennifer blushed and said "Oh my!"

Dr. Goodman gave her a minute to recover from her shock and said "This is a core component of who Len is; it cannot be changed any more than his height or eye-color. It's something that we must work with."

Jennifer thought about this for a moment and said "OK. You said there were three things going on, what are the other two?"

Dr. Goodman nodded and said "The second thing is that Len expresses his submissiveness by dressing like a girl. He needs to do this, just like he needs to eat or breathe. It's an integral part of his sexual identity. "

Jennifer blushed again and said "Yes I can see that!"

"Finally," continued Dr. Goodman "there is the Loop, which I mentioned earlier. Embarrassment and humiliation make Len sexually aroused which in turn makes him more embarrassed, which arouses him still further and so on. These three components of his personality interact with each other. Len needs to dress-up but is embarrassed by it, which makes him sexually excited, which in turn makes him more embarrassed and so on until he is frantic with desire. He wants, or more accurately needs, someone to control his behavior, since he knows that he can't control it himself, which is quite obvious from watching the video."

Jennifer's eyes flicked involuntarily to the TV again and she sighed. "Yes, it's all too obvious. But what's to be done then? Surely things can't go on the way they are!"

"No" said Dr. Goodman. "If Len were allowed to continue on his own, his behavior would get more extreme until either you discovered and confronted him or he did something foolish."

"Foolish?" said Jennifer.

"Yes, like trying to hook up with a professional dominant which can be risky if you don't know what you are doing. I suspect Len is naïve or at least inexperienced in such matters."

"Yes, quite so" agreed Jennifer, with a hint of pride in her voice. "So, what's to be done?"

"I am sure that you want Len to live a happy, complete, and full life" said Dr. Goodman.

"Yes, of course. His happiness is everything to me. That's why I am here."

Dr. Goodman nodded and said "The nexus of the problem is that Len wants, no craves, discipline in his life; the kind of discipline which you provided when he was a child, but no longer can as an adult. He wants to be discovered, but not particularly by you."

"That explains his increasingly careless behavior" said Jennifer.

"Precisely" said Dr. Goodman. "Len is not consciously aware of his desires but subconsciously he knows that he cannot control himself and needs help. Unfortunately, he does not know how to ask for that help."

"So, what to you propose?" asked Jennifer.

"What I am going to tell you may sound radical or extreme but it's been proved time and time again and it's the only way Len will truly be happy and complete."

"OK" said Jennifer holding her breath, "tell me".

"Len needs to be feminized and placed into a female-led relationship where he can be dominated and controlled 24/7 by his wife and Mistress and the other females in his life, specifically you and his sister Melanie."

Jennifer let out her breath and said "Well I always thought he should be married. The problem is, he won't even date. Forget about a girlfriend, little lone a wife. Unless you are a match-maker as well as a psychiatrist, I don't see how you are going to find him a girlfriend not to mention a wife!"

"Well, as it turns out I am" said Dr. Goodman.

Jennifer's mouth fell open and she stammered "What?'

"Match-maker is not exactly the right term" said Dr. Goodman "but it conveys the general idea. However, there is much more to it than that."

Jennifer was astounded and not quite sure what to say. She had always worried about Len's lack of interest in dating girls his age and wondered how he would ever find a wife. At 26 he was well past the point of being shy or awkward around women and she had pretty much resigned herself that he was never going to get married. It seemed odd to her since she knew he wasn't gay, but perhaps she thought he was on his way to being one of those confirmed fuddy-duddy bachelors. Secretly she thought that he needed a good woman to show him his place, but she had all but given up hope. She had even tried playing the match-maker herself, introducing Len to younger women from the office or the daughters of her girlfriends, like Madison Reynolds, Lori's daughter. Len had been polite and gone out with Madison once but had not even asked her for her phone number or tied to contact her again. Ditto for the daughters of her other friends. And now Dr. Goodman was telling her that she was going to find Len a wife! It was beyond her wildest expectation. "I'm sorry" she said, "but I find this a bit overwhelming."

"I understand" said Dr. Goodman. "So, let me explain. My practice is very specialized, as you know. I have handled many males like Len. Some require only counseling to get perspective on themselves and their lives on-track. Others, like your son, require more intervention."

Jennifer frowned and said "So he does have a serious problem."

"Not at all" said Dr. Goodman, "he just needs some guidance and help if he is to be happy."

"I don't understand" said Jennifer. One minute you are talking about finding him a wife, the other about therapy."

"They are one in the same in his case" said Dr. Goodman. "Like I said, Len just needs some intervention to put him on the path to a rewarding and fulfilling life."

"What kind of intervention?" Jennifer asked.

"Left to his own devices Len will probably never get where he needs to be" said Dr. Goodman. "I have a program that I run out of the house here whereby I prepare males like Len to enter a female-led relationship. This program is sponsored by mature and highly successful women who are similarly like-minded and looking for the perfect partner."

Jennifer was genuinely surprised and said "Who are these women and why would they want someone like Len as a partner?"

"Almost without exception the sponsors are older but highly successful career women. They are leaders in their fields: doctors, lawyers, business and professional women. Most have sacrificed their personal lives for their careers but each has reached the point in her life where it is time to focus at least some of their attention on personal well-being and satisfaction" explained Dr. Goodman.

"By why would such highly successful women want to have a...a sissy as a partner? Surely such women would want equally successful partners?" said Jennifer.

"Not necessarily" said Dr. Goodman. "Many successful women have spent their entire careers competing with equally successful males. As you might imagine, this can grow tiresome. In addition, highly successful people tend to be aggressive and demanding both of themselves and others. After a long hard day at work, coming home to such a partner can seem like a continuation of the work day, but on a more personal level. In most cases, high-powered women want a low-powered partner, someone they can relax around and be pampered and served by, not someone whom they must compete and contend with."

"I never thought of it that way" said Jennifer. "It makes sense now that you explained it. It's kind of like opposites attracting."

"Yes, exactly, but I would say, opposites complementing" said Dr. Goodman.

"So, Len would essentially be the 'wife' in the partnership" commented Jennifer.

"Yes, if what you mean by 'wife' is the traditional role played by women in marriage" said Dr. Goodman.

Jennifer thought about this for a while, brightening to the idea of Len being cared for by an older, more mature and successful woman. In return, he would serve and pamper her and attend to her personal wishes and desires. Such a role would fit her son well, she thought. Len was good around the house, doing all the cleaning and much of the cooking. She had taught him well. Moreover, Len did not seem to mind, nay even enjoyed, doing domestic chores. It would in essence be the ideal relationship for him and the lucky woman he would serve. "So, who exactly are these women?" asked Jennifer.

"Unfortunately, I can't give you a list of names" said Dr. Goodman, "as it would violate the confidentiality of the sponsors. I am sure you understand".

"Yes" said Jennifer, frowning. "However surely you can tell me who Len's sponsor would be."

"Yes, quite so" said Dr. Goodman. "Obviously both you and Len would need to know that."

"So, do you have a sponsor for Len, or at least have someone in mind?" asked Jennifer.

"First, I don't select the sponsors it is they who select the male, or candidate, they wish to sponsor. Second, once a sponsor has selected a candidate, we discuss exactly what she wants and needs. This determines what training the candidate will need, and this in turn determines the cost, which of course, the sponsor must cover. Finally, I bring the parties together, and if everyone agrees, we proceed, if not, then the sponsor must wait until another, more suitable candidate is found, and vice versa. Of course, I am involved at every stage, and since I know both the sponsors and the candidates, I try to suggest matches that I feel are the most appropriate and promising. This saves a lot of time and minimizes disappointments and frustrations for both parties."

This was not exactly what Jennifer had imagined. The process Dr. Goodman had just described was more complicated and problematic than she anticipated. Concerned she said "So I must wait then until one of the sponsors takes an interest in Len? How long do you think this will take? Weeks, months, years?"

"Oh, nothing like that" said Dr. Goodman. "A sponsor has already come forward and expressed an interest in Len. "

Jennifer was taken aback "How...so soon...why we haven't even gotten...started!"

"I understand your surprise" said Dr. Goodman "but I believe in being proactive and I start identifying possible matches as early as possible as this saves everyone from becoming anxious and worried, especially the candidates. In the case of Len, after I saw the video from the first couple of days, several possible sponsors came to mind. Of these, one in particular expressed a strong interest in Len."

"How...who?" asked Jennifer trying to recover from her surprise.

"I think you will be both surprised and pleased (after you think about it for a moment)" said Dr. Goodman. "Ellenore Daniels would like to sponsor Len."

Jennifer was stunned and sat back in her chair as if someone had told her she had three months to live. Ellenore! No! I couldn't be! Jennifer started to become angry and her face, initially pale from shock started to turn red and she said "No! How could she betray...she set me up and now..."