I am not offering any great insight here on brats, but I have been reading a lot about them in the BDSM world recently. I have found a few articles with insights into motivation and meaning behind their actions, and I have run across a few "To Do" checklists of actions that are "bratty".
Some of the articles I read make me want to work with a brat, and other pieces make me want to feel sorry for anyone who does. I assume like most categories in life, there is a wide spectrum of brats, and some would be a great fit for me and some would not.
However, I feel like there are a few items that would be a concern for most people. Three of the suggestions for brats are
- call out our safe word when Master is driving too fast
- yell safe word in the grocery store
- stick an Alka-Seltzer tablet in your mouth at the beginning of a scene. Work up some saliva to get it fizzy, then call out your safe word.
I feel that using the safe word in non-serious matters would be like crying wolf. How many times is misusing the safe word going to happen before the Dom ignores it?
There was another group of suggestions centered on destroying various toys and pieces of equipment. It made me feel that any Dom taking on a brat should request a security deposit. And the suggestions of slipping a laxative into food would be a huge "NO". I am sorry that someone thinks it is appropriate to have someone else consume anything not expected.
Then there are the just plain juvenile actions (such as burping responses to the Dom). Unless age play is involved, a brat should not be behaving like a spoiled child. Being a child at heart does not mean one must model the worst aspects of a child.
However, there were several items that thought were funny (e.g. yelling "fire" every time Master lights a candle or swapping nice expensive cufflinks for Hello Kitty cufflinks) mixed in with the juvenile and potentially dangerous actions.
I did find one article (https://houseofbrat.wordpress.com/) that gave the following advise to brats:
- First off no matter what you do ALWAYS remember your manners.
- Secondly ALWAYS take time to plot out any big ideas so that you can ensure no harm befalls you or Him.
- Keep things respectful
I wish more of the "To Do" lists contained these reminders. I will continue to read and to hope to understand typical brats in the BDSM world, and even more I hope to be able to find out how to differentiate them.
As Beau would say, "Anyway, it's just a thought."
