"Washing mouth out with soap" is this a story-killer?

[joeyjax]

I have a story I've been working on for quite awhile, and for the most part this is unrelated to the overall plot, but I have a Mom who uses soap when her daughter has a potty mouth, making her hold a bar of soap in her mouth for a minute as a punishment. Of course, it doesn't work and the daughter keeps cussing. She just tries not to get caught by her mom. But that's all beside the point.

When I first wrote it, the scenes just flowed out, since that was a part of my own upbringing and not something I actually self-critiqued at all, until now. But I realize a lot of folks now consider this to be child abuse. But my question isn't about good/bad parenting, but just seeking some advice for the story.

Would I basically be 'asking for it' if I left those scenes in? Do you think it could end up causing a huge backlash of bombing and flame comments? Is it something that Laurel might even ban from publishing? (That thought literally only now crossed my mind.)

If so, I'd rather rework the story now, before attempting to publish it, than to have readers who are too distracted by that to actually enjoy the story.

By the way, the story would fall in Romance, where I suspect the reader audience might be a little more conservative than say, BDSM or even IT readers (?) so maybe it really would be a bad idea to leave it in (?).

I'm afraid I already know the answer (or I wouldn't be asking). And I'm okay in principle if those parts ought to be rewritten. I just dread the process of figuring out how I'm going to rework them (in other words, being lazy).

 

[Arthur_Guy]

I think it would depend on how it's presented:

Is the character your antagonist?.. Does it speak to the development of that character?.. Does the character get their "just-deserts" for being so cruel?

Moreover, I think people are too sensitive, and seek to be self-righteous and sanctimonious at the drop of a hat. If the scene was meant to be sadistic in a titillating way, I could understand people being offended. Other than that...

 

[MelissaBaby]

I have a story I've been working on for quite awhile, and for the most part this is unrelated to the overall plot, but I have a Mom who uses soap when her daughter has a potty mouth, making her hold a bar of soap in her mouth for a minute as a punishment. Of course, it doesn't work and the daughter keeps cussing. She just tries not to get caught by her mom. But that's all beside the point.

When I first wrote it, the scenes just flowed out, since that was a part of my own upbringing and not something I actually self-critiqued at all, until now. But I realize a lot of folks now consider this to be child abuse. But my question isn't about good/bad parenting, but just seeking some advice for the story.

Would I basically be 'asking for it' if I left those scenes in? Do you think it could end up causing a huge backlash of bombing and flame comments? Is it something that Laurel might even ban from publishing? (That thought literally only now crossed my mind.)

If so, I'd rather rework the story now, before attempting to publish it, than to have readers who are too distracted by that to actually enjoy the story.

By the way, the story would fall in Romance, where I suspect the reader audience might be a little more conservative than say, BDSM or even IT readers (?) so maybe it really would be a bad idea to leave it in (?).

I'm afraid I already know the answer (or I wouldn't be asking). And I'm okay in principle if those parts ought to be rewritten. I just dread the process of figuring out how I'm going to rework them (in other words, being lazy).

If the character is a child, then it isn't going to make the cut right there. If the character is an adult, I am sure there are people who will be thrilled that their kink is being presented.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Oh, and no, don't put it in Romance.

 

[joeyjax]

Nuff said. Thanks for the quick responses and already I've heard what I needed to.

The character is protagonist, btw, and it's not meant to be a kink at all, just part of the side-story of how she parents as a single mom.

I was already wondering if it could be the type of thing to tee people off and completely distract from the story itself. Now I'm more sure of it.

Thanks again. Time to completely rethink those scenes.

 

[Arthur_Guy]

I think making a reference to it might work illustrate your character as a parent, as in: "She was the type of parent that had no problem with..." e.g.

 

[Voboy]

"She'd always been too stubborn for her own good. Sometimes she shuddered, remembering her mom washing her mouth out when she cussed was a kid, but then that hadn't fucking worked either. Obviously."

Throw something like that in there, then say no more about it.

 

[Voboy]

I don't think that's necessarily true. There's no rule against children on Lit; the only thing is, don't let them get anywhere near the 'adult-stuff'. I didn't read 'washing their mouth with soap' as being a kink.

This.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I don't think that's necessarily true. There's no rule against children on Lit; the only thing is, don't let them get anywhere near the 'adult-stuff'. I didn't read 'washing their mouth with soap' as being a kink.

Really? I think Laurel would absolutely look at it just as she would a spanking scene.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Searching "mouth soaping" on Pornhub brings up 101 videos.

 

[jaF0]

I have a story I've been working on for quite awhile, and for the most part this is unrelated to the overall plot, but I have a Mom who uses soap when her daughter has a potty mouth, making her hold a bar of soap in her mouth for a minute as a punishment.

The phrase is figurative. 'Forcing' a child to do it is abuse.

 

[joeyjax]

Searching "mouth soaping" on Pornhub brings up 101 videos.

Okay, I had no idea of ^this, but I'll pass on doing that search. WOW! There really is a kink for everything isn't there?!

"She'd always been too stubborn for her own good. Sometimes she shuddered, remembering her mom washing her mouth out when she cussed was a kid, but then that hadn't fucking worked either. Obviously."

It was definitely more along these lines. But to avoid an unnecessary distraction I'm just going to work around it completely.

 

[Emirus]

By the way, the story would fall in Romance, where I suspect the reader audience might be a little more conservative than say, BDSM or even IT readers (?) so maybe it really would be a bad idea to leave it in (?)..

I would go for Erotic Couplings with it being a mother/daughter scenario and involving a smooth, wet substance.

 

[LupusDei]

Searching "mouth soaping" on Pornhub brings up 101 videos.

Geez.

I literally never knew anything like that had ever been part of world history until I read about it in some stories here, and even then as hypothetical outdated threat than actual occurrence.

Still, as disgusting as it is, I would suggest to write it out if it was indeed the experience of the author and only consider editing it down if indeed causing a rejection. Then, I kind of like to brag that I have no squick (well, almost).

 

[Kumquatqueen]

No comment on it as a kink, but I would expect the reaction from the audience would depend on their age and whether they were familiar with such punishments. It happened a few times when I was at primary school, once I witnessed, and I'm only in my 40s. We thought it was hilarious, but then there was still corporal punishment, too. (Only one kid I knew of ever got the cane, and the head gave up caning him because it clearly didn't work).

My young colleagues who are aghast at stories senior staff tell about their schooling - I imagine they'd be equally aghast at soap.

 

[Voboy]

Yeah, I'd feel no qualms at all about mentioning it in the way I described above (though minus the typo). If I came across it in a published story, I'd probably crack a wistful smile at the allusion. I would be glad the writer had included such a relatable little detail.

Yes, I had my mouth washed out with soap as a kid. No, it didn't destroy my mental state for a lifetime, nor even an afternoon.

 

[jsmiam]

Have the parent “only” buy the kid an iPhone XR and not the newest best one. Yep! Child abuse!

 

[ElectricBlue]

No but then there was still corporal punishment, too. (Only one kid I knew of ever got the cane, and the head gave up caning him because it clearly didn't work).

My young colleagues who are aghast at stories senior staff tell about their schooling - I imagine they'd be equally aghast at soap.

Yep. It became a thing of pride to take "the cuts." There was a scale of offenses, from a single swipe of the cane on one hand for some trivial thing, up to six on each for something that nowadays would probably get you expelled. There was a hard core of kids with scars on both hands who would shit stir just to get sent to the Deputy or the Woodwork Master, whose job it was to look after discipline.

I don't know what punishment the girls got. After school detention, I think.

I only got the cane once, two on each hand, for holding hands with a girl outside the History staffroom window. I thought that was a bit rich, since the History Master's daughter (the same year as me) was regularly shagged by a sixth former, but there you go. .

 

[yowser]

Yes, I had my mouth washed out with soap as a kid. No, it didn't destroy my mental state for a lifetime, nor even an afternoon.

How can you be certain of this?

 

[Voboy]

How can you be certain of this?

Because I kept swearing.

 

[NoJo]

The answer is simply to be honest in your writing - whatever your own attitude is to the mothers behaviour should be reflected in the story. Writers present the evidence , they’re not the judge - and the readers are basically the jury - in the case of literotica, many of them would be rejected on grounds of prejudice .

 

[TarnishedPenny]

As Arthur pointed out, there are some people who would scream 'child abuse' if a parent gives them a 10 minute time out for stealing the car.

As to the site banning it, I'm with RR - there are lots of stories involving children on this site. What is banned is involving them in anything sexual. Unless that soapy discipline is considered sexual (again in context), it should not cause the story to be rejected.

As to 'mouth soaping' being a kink thing, that's just Rule 34. Anything existing is erotic to somebody. No doubt a description of a 10 year old girl knitting her first pair of mittens is enough to get somebody's engine running; that doesn't mean it's going to get a story Lit-banned.

 

[Damoiselle]

After watching A Christmas Story as a kid, I once tried to put soap in my mouth to see what it would be like.

It retroactively made me hate the mother in that movie.

 

[lovecraft68]

My mother told me she used to get Castor Oil when she was a kid.

I just used to get slapped in the mouth.

Progress.

 

[Voboy]

After watching A Christmas Story as a kid, I once tried to put soap in my mouth to see what it would be like.

It retroactively made me hate the mother in that movie.

When my parents did it to me, I was about seven and I could tell that they hated what they were doing.