Mother also bought me new clothes. She says that full skirts are not stylish for a married woman and that I should have some pencil skirts in my wardrobe. There are so many changes!

Fred is also helping me along. We have loads and loads of wedding gifts to open, and I was too excited to write down some of the names. When I went to write the thank-you cards I didn’t know who gave what! I thought it was funny, but Fred said that it is not responsible of me. I am embarrassed to tell you what happened next, diary. Fred turned me over his knee and gave me a spanking on my panties. He said “Joanie, you are a wife now and you’ll act like it.” It was awful. I cried but not because it hurt. I cried because it was so embarrassing to be treated like a child. Mother warned me that it would probably happen after I was married, but I was rather surprised just the same.”

The discovery of this journal is what inspired me to look into marriages in the 1950s and the separation of power between husband and wife during that time period.