----
On Xmas day, my cousins and I were in the finished basement of my home, playing all sorts of "boring" games. There were four different households gathered that day (three aunts and three uncles, with their kids, and my own family, although I was an only child at the time). My mother and one of my aunts were guarding the stairwell so none of us kids would go upstairs to disturb my father and my three uncles playing their card game while the other two aunts were cleaning up after super (it was stereotypical for the 1970s). My cousin Mike (also 4 years old, but slightly younger) was playing with my toy cars and wanted me to join in. However, I had other plans: I wanted to be tied up by one of my female cousins, specifically Janice (14 years old) who would babysit me when my parents where not home.
For lack of the proper vocabulary, I would say I had a baby-crush on my cousin Janice. She used to train as a ballet dancer, and I would love to watch her do just that. It was the simplest way for her to babysit me. I could sit still and watch her for hours, all quiet, while she trained.
That Xmas day, however, Janice was playing some sort of team game in the basement with three other of my cousins. There was Greg (9 years old, and Mike's older brother), Ned (also 9 years old, but from a different aunt and uncle than Greg and Mike), and Vivian (11 years old, and Ned's sister). My cousin Janice was the only child of the remaining household. Janice and Vivian were playing on the same team and Greg and Ned were on the other team.
I had found some length of rope in the basement; I mustered up the courage to walk up to Janice and asked her point blank if she would tie me up.
"Not now, I'm playing a game, can't you see! Maybe later," was Janice's response (or so I like to remember).
"But later, it will be time for bed and it will be too late. Please!" I answered back.
"No! Go bother someone else."
So I turn to Vivian, and before I could ask her she too rebuffs me: "be a normal little boy and go play with Mike and your toy cars."
Before, I could even ask Greg and Ned, they both also clearly say "no! Go away." Not that I was going to ask them anyway, since I would have loved it to be Janice and, if not her, Vivian.
At this point, I recall Mike walking up to me and saying "Why do you want to be tied-up."
I didn't want to admit that I enjoy the thought of being tied-up. I now say "thought" because I do not have much memories before this one, so I don't know really exactly when my interest in being tied-up started. Nevertheless, I do have this memory as possibly the earliest I have that involves tie-ups and perhaps even the earliest of all. I do recall, however, telling Mike that I wanted to see if I could escape like Batman and Robin in those old TV shows.
"OK, let me tie you up!"
"No, it has to be a girl."
"Why? Batman and Robin don't always get tied up by girls."
"I just want to be tied up by a girl. I'll ask mom and auntie."
I go ask my mom and aunt by the stairwell if they would tie me up, but before they do, could I go upstairs to my room and fetch a pair of socks to wear "my slippers are warm and I forgot to put on a pair of socks, but my feet will get cold if I get tied up."
"I don't approve of this game. You should put that rope back where you found it and just play normal games. And no, you can't go upstairs, so keep your slippers on," was my mom's reply.
"Ah mom! It's Xmas and this is what I wish the most, to be tied-up and see if I can escape! Like Batman!" (I had no intention of escaping.)
Mike pipes in "I'll do it, I'll tie Sebastian up, this sounds like fun!"
"If you do so, don't tie him up tight!" says my aunt to Mike, and turns to me "no one else will tie you up if that is what you really want for Xmas."
"While I don't like this game, I don't mind if Mike ties you up Seb, just call out if you can't get out and want to be untied" adds my mom.
"OK then," I responded.
So Mike and I go back to our corner of the basement.
"How should I tie you up?" Mike asked.
I describe an impossible scenario, where I was going to sit down cross legged and he was to use the length of rope (it was long enough to do this, but too complex for two 4 year old kids to pull off) to tie my hands and arms behind my back, then wrap the rope several times around my arms and chest in order to pin them to my body, and then to take the left over length and wrap it around my ankles, pulling my chest as close to my ankles as possible so my nose would be forced to catch whiffs of my feet.
"Is that why you wanted your slippers off and socks on?" asked Mike.
"Yes, and make my feet more ticklish too! But now I need to keep my slippers on, or my feet will get cold."
"We can still try without socks."
And so Mike proceeded, with as much help as I could offer, to attempt as best we could to tie me in that position I described to him above. We obviously failed and gave up after 5 minutes. However, my arms were already tied behind my back and secured to my body with rope around my chest.
The remainder of the rope was long enough for Mike to wrap around my legs, legs together in front of me, from thighs to ankles, and tied off at my ankles. So instead of my initially desired position, I ended up sitting up against a wall, legs outstretch in front of me, tied together, with fluffy slippers on my feet.
"What should I do now?" Mike asked.
"Just go play, I'll try and escape."
"You don't want me to tickle you?"
"No. But my feet are getting sweaty. Can you please remove my slippers."
"OK. Good luck trying to escape."
I was in blissful heaven, with no intent of escaping. Nevertheless, I wiggled on occasion and pretended to try and escape. The tie-up wasn't tight, but I don't recall if I could have actually escaped. While I recall enjoying the feeling of being tied-up, I do also recall being a bit disappointed in not having socks on and not being forced to smell them. I also recall being even more disappointed that none of the girls came by to tickle me!
Over the course of the evening, Mike, Janice, Vivian, Ned, Greg, my mom, and my aunt, would each in turn pass by and ask me if I was OK and if I wanted to be untied. I would respond "yes" to OK and "no" to being untied.
I recall my mom offering me some apple juice after a while, and me taking a few sips.
I also recall asking Janice once, when she came by to check up on me, if she could actually tighten the rope a bit more as it had gotten loose and to tickle my feet to see if the knot at my ankle is secure. I recall Janice smiling at me and saying "No. It is almost bed time, and your mom will want you untied soon."
I finally, recall Mike putting my slippers back on my feet shortly after. "Your mom asked me to put them back on you." Eventually, we had to pack our toys away and get ready for the bed. My cousins untied me and off we went to get ready for bed.
Supper used to end around 7pm on holidays in my home, and bed time was exceptionally pushed ahead to 10pm. I probably was tied up for at most 90 blissful minutes.
----
Many, many years later, as hinted in the intro, I asked my mother about this memory and whether I had just imagined it or if it really did happen. My mom confirmed that she too recalled that event and that it was her and my aunt that had instructed my cousins to keep checking up on me. She was sad that I liked to play TUGs, and admitted to me that it was not the first time: she had caught me tying myself up even earlier.
I asked her why it saddened her, and if she had any idea why I was so interested in being tied-up at so young an age. As far as how it began, her guess was as good as mine; neither of us can pin-point a precise moment or single cause. Perhaps it wasn't just one scene form a TV show or just one TV show in particular.
As for why it saddened her, it was because she was concerned for me. She reminded me of the inherent dangers of being tied-up: cut-off circulation, dehydration, nerve damage, among others (she used to be a nurse). Basically, she feared that I would end up in the hands of the wrong type of people who would not care about my well being. I promised her that I was always careful, never tied myself inescapably when alone, and would only play with the most trusted individuals otherwise. After all, I told her, I often got injured playing soccer or practising judo at the local Dojo, but never had more than, on very few occasions, a couple of sore muscles and some rope marks that I considered proudly earned, thou short lived, battle scars.
And I kept my word. Pity, however, that I cannot recall those earlier instances my mother referred to. I'd sure like to know how I got the idea of being tied-up in an impossible position forced to smell my own feet, at such a young age.
tiedinbluetights
Love to be tied-up 
