"Short puffed Sleeves"

I remember it very well, and with a longing sigh for an earlier style. It was the beginning of that pretty time, spring 1953. The new bouffant fashion of women wearing petticoats under their full dresses, and little girls wearing bouffant full slips under their dresses had become the new style decreed by the fashion designers of Paris, France earlier that spring. It was quickly adopted throughout the rest of western Europe including the U.K., and in America, Canada and by women in other modern countries, especially any country with a wealthy and/or middle class in its population, such as Argentina, Venezuela, South Africa, Australia and eventually, Japan.

Timmy, a cute little seven year old boy, had gone to live with his aunt in a town in Westchester County, New York after his parents had died in a tragic car accident.

Two women, June McKay, Timmy’s aunt, a young widow and grammar school teacher before her marriage, and her closest and dearest friend Barbara Cummings, a divorcée, were sitting on June’s living room couch as they had tea and chatted on a Friday afternoon.

“I have to do something about Timmy,” said June. “The rest of the boys in the neighborhood are all a lot older than he is, and they don’t want a seven year old boy tagging along with them. He’s lonely and sort of sad now with nobody to play with.”

“That’s a shame June,” said Barbara. “Timmy’s such a nice little boy.”

“Of course if he was a little girl he’d have plenty of little friends to play with,” said June. “There’s lots of little girls his age living near us. I’ve been thinking about doing something that would solve the problem, but I wanted to hear your opinion on the idea first. I’d appreciate any help you could give me, if you don’t object to the idea.”

“Well,” replied June with a little sigh, “I’ve seen him looking at the pictures of panties, bouffant slips and dresses for girls in the Sears-Roebuck catalog several times,” explained June. “He may have been just curious, but he could be a sissy. But even if he isn’t a sissy yet, if I was to dress him as my little niece, he’d be able to play with the little girls in our neighborhood. The little girls living near us must outnumber the boys by at least three to one.”

“That’s a fun idea,” said Barbara. “Such a cute little boy like Timmy really would look like a little girl once he was wearing a dress and things. I can imagine how darling he’d look playing Hop-Scotch with the girls, his little dress and bouffant slip bouncing up and down. When are you going to start? I’d love to go along when you go shopping for him.”

“Thanks Barbara,” said June. “This’ll be a first time experience for me to be shopping for dresses for a little boy.”

“To be truthful,” explained June, “I’ve been thinking of doing this since last year, so I didn’t get him any haircuts. I still have my teacher’s certificate, and this past school year I gave him home schooling. We might as well get started today. I’ll bring him inside and see if he’s still clean enough. I gave him a bubble bath this morning and shampooed his hair. But first I want to change my dress before we go shopping. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

When June came back into the living room, she was wearing a lovely white sleeveless dress with black velvet spaghetti straps holding it up, its bodice and skirts covered with tiny black polka dots and a sprinkling of dainty black velvet bows on its skirts, wore three white petticoats under it to pouf it out nice, long over-the-elbow
white gloves, and carried a black velvet covered clutch purse to go with her dress.

“June, that’s such a gorgeous dress,” said Barbara.

“Thanks Barbara. I save it for special occasions,” replied June, “and buying dresses for a sissy certainly is one.”

Timmy passed inspection as far as still being nice and clean, and with the two women got into June’s new Buick and headed downtown, Timmy sitting in the front seat between the two women, their full dresses and petticoats spilling over across his legs.

“Timmy,” began June, “Today we’re going to do something you’ll like. You’re going to become my pretty little girl. Won’t that be nice?"

“Yes sweetheart,” said his aunt. “You just have to wear dresses and the other pretty things little girls wear and learn how to behave like a good little girl. Don’t be afraid Timmy. I think you’re going to like being my little girl and having fun playing with other little girls.”

Barbara and June looked at each other with knowing smiles. It seemed to both women that if Timmy wasn’t already a sissy, he certainly didn’t mind June’s plans to make him one. All that was left to do was to dress him like June’s little niece as soon as they took him into one of the stores’ dressing rooms, and getting his hair done in a little girls style afterwards. June had phoned before they left and asked for an appointment for Timmy at FRANCINE’S, a salon or beauty parlor owned by a good friend of hers, Francine Bessette. Timmy was lucky. When June had called Francine, she’d learned that it was a slow day at her salon, and she’d be able to fit Timmy in any time during the afternoon.

As they drove downtown, June decided to go to FEINBERG’S, a department store that carried a pretty line of clothes for women and girls.

The idea of dressing a little boy like a girl made June and Barbara eager to start, and was obviously devilishly fun for the two women.

June found a space in the store’s parking lot, then held Timmy by the hand as they entered the store and got on the elevator. When it reached the second floor, they got off and walked through the women’s department into the girls department.

“Panties first,” replied June. “We’ll start from the inside and work outward.”

A pleasant looking middle age saleslady with a tape measure hanging around her neck came over to them.

“Yes,” said June. “My little nephew is going to be my little niece, so there’s a lot of things we have to get for him. Could you show us some panties for him please?”

“What a lucky little boy he is,” said Marsha with a nice smile at Timmy. “I’ll take his measurements first, including his shoe size, and you can begin picking out whatever you want for him. I’ll be glad to help you if you have any questions. I have three darling little grand-daughters about his age.” Marsha quickly took Timmy’s measurements, writing his sizes on a pad, and gave them to June.

June and Barbara picked out some pretty lace trimmed nylon tricot rumba panties for a little girl in Timmy’s size. She also picked out some regular nylon tricot panties in different pastel colors with white lace trim just around the leg openings, and then moved on to three long racks of bouffant slips for girls. Marsha showed them where the size seven bouffant slips were, and June and Barbara began picking out some for Timmy. Eventually they decided on three pink ones with nylon parchment overskirts, pretty white lace at each widening tier and along its bottom edge, with three inner layers of pink nylon horsehair netting, also trimmed with white lace, and three white slips lace decorated in the same way. The innermost layer of nylon netting was lined with nylon tricot so it wouldn’t be scratchy on a little girl’s legs. At this point June had already begun to regard Timmy as her little girl.

“I just love the new bouffant style,” said Barbara. “It’s so pretty and feminine.”

“Yes. It’s the prettiest style since the Edwardian long dresses that had a short train and bustle,” agreed June. “Let’s pick out some dresses for my little girl now.” She smiled down at Timmy. Timmy was still smiling too.

It took a half hour before the two women had picked out eight pretty dresses for Timmy. June also bought a cute pink poodle skirt and three white button-back blouses with little flowers embroidered on their bodices. Then Marsha showed them the shoes and socks for little girls. June bought some shiny black patent leather Maryjanes for Timmy, along with a pair of shiny white patent leather shoes, also having a strap and buckle like his black Maryjanes. Next they got some ankle socks in pastel colors to match his dresses and some white ones with tiny pastel colored flowers on them.

“By the way,” suggested Marsha, “we have some pretty mother-and-daughter-dresses. Would you like to see them?”

“Yes,” said June. “I think my little niece will like wearing a dress like her aunty’s dress. And I’ll be setting a good example for her when we wear them together.”

Marsha led them to a separate rack of the dresses, and June picked out a set in lilac and white checks, a pink gingham set, and a set in red with little white polka dots.

“June, what about a little pocketbook and some white cotton gloves?” asked Barbara. “Every little girl should have her cute little accessories.”

“Oh yes. You’re right,” answered June. “But first let’s get my little girl dressed up pretty.”

Leaving the other dresses and things on the counter where the cash register was, June took the pink gingham set of dresses, lacy pink rumba panties and a white bouffant slip for little girls with her as she brought Timmy into one of the dressing rooms. Barbara stood at the entrance to their dressing room, holding Timmy’s new ankle socks and shoes.

Inside the dressing room, June helped Timmy take off all his clothes. Then she held open the rumba panties. Timmy stepped into them and June drew the elastic band up to his waist.

“Now for your poufy slip sweetheart,” said June. “This is the kind of petticoat all little girls wear. You’ll be wearing petticoats now, just like big girls and ladies and do.”

She lifted the white bouffant slip over his head, telling him to put his hands up high. The layers of the slip came down over him with a little tugging, the adjustable straps settling on his shoulders. A pink ribbon bow with long dangly tag ends was on the outermost layer of his bouffant slip, with a small pink bow at the top center of its lacy bodice. Barbara stood at the entrance to the dressing room, wondering just how cute a little girl Timmy would look like when he was all dressed up pretty and had his hair done at Francine’s salon.

Next came his dress. It was Timmy’s part of the pink gingham set of the mother-and-daughter-dresses. June told him to put his hands up high again and brought the little dress down over his head, making sure his hands and arms went into the short puffed sleeves, then gently turned him around, buttoned up the back of it, and tied the white sash in a big pretty bow at the back of his waist. The last items were pink ankle socks and the white strap and buckle shoes to match the colors of his gingham dress.

“Now I’ll put on my new dress, too sweetheart,” said June, and changed into her part of the mother-and-daughter-dresses, still wearing her own three white petticoats under it.

They emerged from the dressing room, and June held Timmy’s hand and led him to a tall three-sided mirror, and stood in back of him as they looked at themselves. She had dropped Timmy’s boys clothes and sneakers in a rubbish barrel along the way to the mirror. A big smile came onto Timmy’s cute face as he looked at their reflection in the mirror.

“See how pretty you look now sweetheart?” asked June, with a satisfied smile over Timmy’s appearance in his little dress.

“Yes Aunty,” said the still smiling Timmy. “My dress looks like your dress Aunty.”

“Oh June!” said Barbara. “He really does look like a little girl already. I can hardly wait to see how cute he’ll look once Francine finishes working on his hair.”

“Yes Timmy,” explained June. “We’re going to go to a place now where a nice lady will make your hair look like other little girls’ hair. Then you’ll be my pretty little girl.”

Lastly, June got a little shiny white patent leather pocketbook with a shoulder strap, and a pair of little white cotton gloves for Timmy, and put both items on him.

“Sweetheart, just rest your left hand on top of it to keep it from swinging around when you’re walking,” instructed June. “Here’s a silver dollar for being a good little girl today.”

“You’re welcome precious,” replied June, smiling back at her darling little sissy.

Marsha was waiting for them at the the cash register, and the two women and Timmy went to it now. Marsha boxed the polka dot dress with the long gloves June had worn to the store, the other mother-and-daughter dresses, and Timmy’s other dresses. His other panties, ankle socks and bouffant slips were put in some of the store’s large paper bags, the lacy bottom edges of his bouffant slips sticking out a little from the top of them, and his Maryjane shoes inside a box in a separate bag. She had removed the price tags from the things they’d put on before they went into the dressing room and added up everything on the cash register.

“June,” said Barbara, “let me pay for half the price of his dresses and things.”

“That’s not necessary Barbara,” replied June. “I collected my husband’s G.I. insurance, and on a much better life insurance policy he already had before he went to Korea. Money won’t be a problem for me any longer. I’m not rich, but I’ve got enough money to last me for the rest of my life, actually more than I’ll probably ever need.”

“Well I get plenty of alimony from my ex-husband,” said Barbara. “Lawyers make good money. Let me pay for something at least. After all, it’s for a wonderful good cause.”

June grinned and said, “Oh, just give me five dollars if it means that much to you.”

Instead Barbara fished a ten dollar bill out of her pocketbook and handed it to June, insisting that she take it.

June paid the bill and three salesgirls carried everything down to the parking lot and placed them on the back seat of her car.

Fifteen minutes later, June was holding Timmy by the hand as they went up the steps into Francine’s beauty parlor or salon, Timmy’s bouffant slip whispering in a delightful manner as it moved against the skirts of his little dress.

Francine was aware of June’s plan for dressing her little nephew like a girl. She knew it was something some other customers of hers did, usually just for a day or two, but in some cases, for their entire summer vacations from school or even longer. There were several other women in town that had also turned their little boys into sissies. She smiled as she thought of how nice it would make June feel when she was putting her little sissy in a pretty dress and things each morning.

Just then they came into her salon, Francine being a little surprised to see Barbara Cummings with her, though she knew Barbara was June’s dearest friend. She paused in her work on a woman’s hair and bent down to Timmy.

“Well! Is this your little girl June?” asked Francine. “Gloves and pocketbook too. She’s a real little lady. And you’re wearing pretty pink gingham mother-and-daughter-dresses! That’s so sweet. Gingham’s such a pretty and dainty pattern.”

“Yes,” answered June. “She used to be my little nephew, but now she’s my little niece, and she likes wearing a dress like her aunty’s dress. Don’t you sweetheart?”

“Yes Aunty. It’s fun wearing a dress like your dress,” said Timmy with a big smile. “When I get big, I want to be a pretty lady like you Aunty.”

Francine bent down, gave Timmy a hug and kissed his cheek. Timmy giggled and smiled.

“Oh, that’s a nice name for a pretty little girl like she is,” replied Francine, still smiling at Timmy. “Do you like being a girl sweetheart?”

“Yes,” answered Tammy with his cute smile. “I’m glad I’m a girl now.”

“I bet you’re overjoyed to have such a pretty little girl,” said Francine. “I can imagine all the fun things you’ll be doing with Tammy.”

“I hadn’t really thought about it in any detail Fran,” replied June, “but now that you mention it, I suppose we will have lots of fun together. Just dressing Tammy up pretty made me feel so good, and Tammy liked it too.”

“Go ahead and sit down and I’ll be with you in a couple of minutes,” said Francine.

They went over to some padded chairs along the wall and June said, “Tammy, watch how Mrs. Cummings sits down.” Barbara turned around in front of the chair to face them, then put her hands behind her and smoothed her dress and petticoats under her as she sat down.

Tammy was a bright little boy, and copied the way Barbara had just sat down. Then June sat down next to him on his other side.

“That’s right sweetheart,” said June. “Girls and ladies always sit down that way. That’s so they won’t get wrinkles in their poufy slips and pretty dresses. Always sit down that way like a good little girl.”

“The short puffed sleeves on little girls’ dresses are so cute,” said Barbara.

“Yes,” agreed June with a loving smile at Tammy’s dress. “All the dresses we bought for Tammy today have them. But I’ll probably be buying some sleeveless dresses with shoulder straps and a square boat-neckline for Tammy when the weather gets hot, and maybe some little petticoats instead of bouffant slips for her that’ll be cooler in the summer.”

Francine smiled again as she heard June talking about her little sissy’s future. Soon she was finished with the customer in the styling chair. The lady got up, paid, tipped and thanked Francine, then left the salon after giving her dress and petticoats a rustling shake to fluff them up in front of a full-length mirror near the door.

“Come to me Tammy,” said Francine as she bent down and held her arms and hands open in front of her. “It’s time to make your hair look pretty sweetheart.”

Tammy got off the chair and walked over to Francine with a big smile. She easily lifted him up into the styling chair with a thick pad on it she used to raise the height of the little girls whose hair she styled.

“Tell me June,” said Francine. “How did you manage to keep Tammy’s hair so long while she was in school?”

“I’ve been kind of planning this for the past year or so. I still have my teacher’s certificate and qualified as a single parent to get the free state text books so I could give Tammy home schooling for the past year. And I’ll have plenty of time to be with my little girl even after school starts in the September by continuing with her home schooling.”

“Pardon the expression June, but I think Tammy’s as cute as a bug’s ear,” said Francine as she smiled at Tammy and examined his hair. “What a fun filled life he’ll have being your little girl. By the way, it looks and smells like you gave Tammy a shampoo today.”

“Yes,” replied June. “I gave him a BRECK shampoo while he was in his bubble bath this morning.”

“That’s the best store-bought shampoo on the market,” said Francine. “I use a professional one that gives a little more sheen to hair. But Tammy’s hair looks fine already.”

Francine opened a drawer in the counter under the long mirror and took out a little bottle of pink fingernail polish.

“June, put one of the folding chairs at the back of the room along side Tammy and paint her fingernails while I work on her hair,” said Francine, handing the bottle to her. “But before you start, tell me how you’d like Tammy’s hair done.”

“Nothing fancy Fran,” answered June. “Just a ponytail and bangs would look nice.”

“That’ll be easy,” said Francine. “And Tammy will look even cuter than she is now once I tie it up with a nice big bow.”

All the women were now using the feminine pronouns she and her when they were talking about June’s cute little sissy. Barbara began looking through a copy of McCalls, a fashion magazine.

“Fran, you don’t think I’m doing something wrong having Timmy become Tammy, do you?” asked June.

“Wrong? Nonsense,” answered Francine. “Tammy’ll love being her nice aunty’s pretty little girl and playing with other little girls.”

“I think so too Fran,” said June. “I think it’s important for Tammy to be a little girl so she can have her childhood fun playing with her little girlfriends.”

“I don’t blame you a bit, whatever your reasons.” said Francine. “She looks so precious in her little dress.”

“Oh, in the department stores and sometimes in a dress shop,” answered June. “Why?”

“Yes. A Mrs. Simmons from Boston opened it up a week ago on Summer Street,” answered Francine. “She has a better grade of girls clothes than the other stores in town. She sells clothes for girls from toddler up to the age of thirteen or fourteen, and her selection of panties, bouffant slips and dresses is very nice. You should check it out. I’m sure you’ll like it, and her prices are quite reasonable.”

“Perhaps next week,” replied June. “I’ve done enough shopping for one day. Besides, I have to start getting supper ready when we get home.”

“Supper huh?” said Francine. “Still revealing your Yankee origins by the words you use.”

“I know most people say dinner now when they refer to the evening meal,” said June. “But how come they call some restaurants supper clubs?”

“Good question,” answered Francine. “I guess it’s just an old term they think fits.”

“By the way Fran, would you care to dine with us tonight?” asked June. “We’re having pot roast. There’ll be plenty to go around.”

“I doubt it,” replied Francine. “He just moved into the house next door to mine three days ago. But I’ll take a rain check on your invitation. It’d be nice to see Tammy again.”

“So does he,” replied Francine with a wink, “but not too fast, if you know what I mean.”

“Just phone me when you have a free evening,” offered June. “I’d love to have you join us. And you could see Tammy again, too.”

While they’d been talking, Francine had cut some bangs on Tammy’s forehead, brought the rest of his black hair back and up from his neck, and tied it in a six inch ponytail with a two inch wide pink ribbon in a pretty bow to go with Tammy’s pink gingham dress. The tag ends of the pert bow hung down a few inches, and his ponytail curled up outward a little at the end of it.

“Oh, yes June!” said Barbara when Francine was finished. “Tammy looks darling with her ponytail. It would have been a waste to get it cut short for a pixie cut.”

“She does look cute, doesn’t she?” said June with a loving smile at Tammy.

“Cute? She’s adorable,” said Francine smiling at Tammy. Then she dug out a pink lipstick from one of the drawers under the long counter. “I’ll put some pink lipstick on Tammy to match her pink gingham dress. Then I’ll numb her earlobes to pierce them and put some gold plated studs in them. Leave them in overnight, and tomorrow you can put some dainty pearl studs in them. But first I’m just going to thin her eyebrows a little.”

Finally Francine was finished and lifted Tammy down from the styling chair. She bent down and gave Tammy a hug and kissed his cheek.

“Goodbye sweetheart,” said Francine. “Be a good little girl for your nice aunty, and always play nice with other little girls.”

Once again June and Barbara were sitting on June’s living room couch as they had iced tea and chatted. Barbara had just arrived a minute earlier with two large paper bags from a store.

June made an effort to an effort to always refer to Tammy as she or her now, but sometimes she slipped up, saying he or him instead.

“I’ll show you,” said June. “Wait’ll you see. You’re gonna love this. It’s wonderful.”

Barbara followed June to her kitchen windows and together they looked out on June’s patio and flower garden in the backyard. Hop-Scotch squares were drawn in chalk on the surface of the patio.

“June!” exclaimed Barbara. “Tammy’s actually playing Hop-Scotch with two other little girls. Who are they?”

“Susan Conway and Nancy Evans. They live just down the street a little way. Their mothers brought them over about a half hour ago. Tammy loves playing little girls’ games. He’s so happy now. But he also plays with some other little sissies. There’s Corrine Beliveau’s sissy nephew Maryanne and Mrs. Sanford’s sissy Marybeth.”

“Gosh!” said Barbara. “I didn’t know so many other women near us had little boys that were sissies.”

“I’m not sure they were all sissies at first and liked wearing dresses and being taught to be good little girls,” replied June. “But any little boy will like being a little girl in a few days once he sees how nice it is to wear panties, poufy slips and pretty dresses. Personally, I think it’s good for them. They’ll probably treat women better when they grow up. There’s seven or eight other real girls Tammy plays with also.”

“It’s just like I said it would be,” replied Barbara with a smile. “Tammy’s little dress and bouffant slip bounce up and down every time he hops to another square. He’s so cute. Oh, you’re so lucky to have such a darling little sissy.”

“I know,” said June with a smile. “It makes me feel so good to dress him up pretty every morning. But please don’t say sissy when he can hear you. It might upset him if he found out what it means. He thinks he’s my little girl now, and he is, except for a little difference inside his lacy panties.”

“The little girls and other sissies taught him,” answered June. “And he’s so happy to have some little girlfriends now to play with. I knew Tammy would fit right in with them.”

“June, did you ever think that maybe Tammy should have been born a girl?” Barbara asked.

“Yes. I have,” replied June. “Perhaps I’m just correcting one of Mother Nature’s mistakes. Tammy’s so happy now being my little girl. I love to cuddle with him on the couch while we watch television after supper. The day after we first went shopping for Tammy, I bought four pretty little nighties for him. Some day I’d like to go shopping in White Plains. There’s more stores and dress shops to buy things for him, and for myself as well.”

“I always wished I’d had a little girl, but I got divorced before I could get pregnant,” said Barbara.

“I always wanted a little girl too,” said June. “But my husband died in Korea from a heart attack. We had decided to wait til he got home before having any children. But Tammy helps me to forget the unhappiness of that time. I know he’s really my sissy nephew, but now it’s just as if he was my little niece. It makes me feel so good. Here’s a picture of us jumping rope together in one of our mother-and-daughter-dress sets.”

“What a sweet remembrance for you! Does Tammy play Jacks too?” asked Barbara.

“Yes, I taught him how,” answered June, “and how to make a little curtsey, too. I want him to behave like a good little girl should now.”

“Oh, he looks darling June,” said Barbara, “just like a pretty little girl!”

“I’ve already taken some other nice pictures of him,” said June. “If Tammy does grow up to be a teenage boy later, at least I’ll have the pictures to remind me what a darling little sissy I had for a few years. I keep them in a separate photo album I bought recently. My camera has a timer

delay on it, so I was able to take pictures of Tammy and myself cuddling on the couch together, and jumping rope together. But the ones I really like best are the pictures I took of him playing with little girls and the other sissies. He likes playing with his little girlfriends now, and isn’t lonely and sad anymore. I love to hear him giggle and laugh.”

“Just the same as they’d treat another real little girl,” said June. “They all think he is one. By the way, there’s another little boy in the neighborhood whose mother dresses him like a little girl. My friend Jane Belmore petticoated her little boy also. Usually he plays with Tammy too. His name is Charlene now instead of Charles.”

“Not today,” explained June. “His mother took him with her when she went to visit some other friends of hers today. She said she loves showing him off to other ladies. They all make such a nice big fuss over him.”

“I wasn’t aware so many women in the neighborhood were petticoating their little boys,” said Barbara. “But I hardly blame them. Having a little sissy and teaching him to be a good little girl must be so nice. Just helping you to shop for Tammy was so much fun.”

“I don’t think petticoating is as uncommon a thing to do as I did before,” replied June. “And I know I did the right thing, since Tammy must have been a sissy. He loves being my little girl now, and it makes me feel so good to see him in a pretty little dress. I suppose all women feel the same way about their little girls.”

“He really seems to have adapted well to wearing his little dresses and bouffant slips,” observed Barbara as they continued to watch Tammy playing Hop-Scotch with the neighbors’ little girls.

“Yes, he has. A sissy’s instinct I guess,” said June with a little laugh. “And it’s not so noisy in the house now. Sissies and girls don’t make as much noise when they play with their dolls as regular little boys make playing cops and robbers or soldiers.”

“Yes,” answered June. “The day I bought his little nighties, I also bought him a cute MAGIC SKIN doll, and a couple of rag dolls. He takes one of the rag dolls with him to bed now along with his teddy bear.”

“June, I’d never have known he was a boy in girls clothes if I hadn’t been with you when we took him shopping, dressed him and had his hair done at Francine's. He really does look like a cute little girl now.”

“And he behaves like a good little girl too,” said June. “No yelling in the house when he and the real girls play together with their dolls. Little boys are a lot noisier. And he keeps his knees and feet together when he’s standing or sitting down like a little girl, too. There’s something else I do with Tammy now when it’s his bedtime. I got a prescription for some lactation pills, and I have him come to bed with me and breast feed him til he falls asleep. Then I carry him back to his own bed. He looks forward to it every night now.”

“I bet you do too,” said Barbara, as she opened the two paper bags she had brought with her from a store. “I know I’d love to do it. By the way June, I bought Tammy a nice little pastel blue dress, a white bouffant slip to wear under it, and a matching blue hair bow. And I got him some more pretty rumba panties too.”

“Thanks Barbara,” said June.“ You really shouldn’t have. Still, I suppose every little girl or sissy should have lots of panties, poufy slips and pretty dresses to wear.”

Soon it was almost five o’clock, and the little girls Tammy was playing with were picked up by their mothers and went home.

Before making supper, June and Barbara took Tammy upstairs to his bedroom and changed him into the little blue dress Barbara had bought for him. Then June took a picture of him back downstairs, kneeling up on a bamboo porch chair she’d brought into the living room with his white cotton gloves on. She had untied his ponytail to let his wavy black hair hang down and put the pretty matching blue hair bow on top of it.

Tammy’s eighth birthday was only a day away, and June pulled all stops. She had taken him shopping at THE LITTLE PRINCESS DRESS SHOP, the store just for little girls Francine had told her about. When they left, besides having bought Tammy some more panties, bouffant slips and some new dresses in the larger size he wore now, she had also bought him a pink cotton party dress, with all the frills, bows and lacy decorations they have. It even had little faux jewels on it and had its own pretty four layered petticoat sewn into it. Tammy loved it when he saw it on himself in the store’s tall three-sided mirror. He could hardly wait for his little girlfriends they were going to invite to the party to see how pretty his party dress was.

By now, June’s other friends had visited her and met Tammy. They all thought he made a darling little girl. June had also invited the other petticoated little sissies in the neighborhood to the party along with their mothers or aunts.

After June had nursed Tammy at her breast, she tucked him back in his pretty canopy bed, and Barbara helped June decorate the living room. Colorful twisted crepe paper streamers criss-crossed just below the ceiling, and they blew up two dozen balloons and tied them to the streamers. June had baked a big birthday cake and stuck a lot more than eight little candles in the frosting to make it look more festive. Then both women worked together making two large pitchers of slightly sweet lemonade.

Afterwards, June and Barbara wrapped Tammy’s presents June had bought for him in some pretty gift paper and tied them up with pink ribbon having a nice bow on top. Tammy’s presents were just what you’d expect for an eight year old little girl: some new dresses, bouffant slips, boxed sets of pretty panties, more books of paper dolls, coloring books and jig-saw puzzles for little girls. Barbara had already wrapped her own presents for June’s huggable little sissy, but kept them at home til the next day.

The next day was Tammy’s birthday, and around one o’clock that afternoon the mothers with their own little girls began to arrive at June’s house. June was glad to see Jane Belmore with her darling sissy Charlene as well. He had also turned eight years old a month earlier. Sissy Maryanne came too with his pretty aunt, Corrine Beliveau.

June had dressed Tammy in his pretty pink party dress with a pink bouffant slip under it and pink panties trimmed with white lace. She’d untied his long ponytail again, and his long hair was hanging down his back in long waves, with a pink bow on the top of his hair.

Tammy was very excited, and a big smile was on his face all day. June had coated his lips with a pink lipstick and put a pink nail polish on his fingernails. Dainty pearl studs were in his pierced earlobes. Being spring, she thought he should wear his white shoes that had a strap and buckle like his black Maryjanes. His ankle socks were pink to match his dress. Barbara gave Tammy a hug and kissed his cheek, telling him how pretty his dress was. Then she placed her present for Tammy on the coffee table in the living room.

As the other women arrived, most of them wearing white or a light color summer dress, June greeted them at the door, placing her cheek near theirs without actually touching so they wouldn’t smudge each others’ makeup. Tammy curtseyed nice to the ladies like June had taught him to do to ladies, and the women helped June by wheeling in a utility cart covered by a small table cloth with the birthday cake on it, setting out the silverware and making sure everything was ready.

As soon the refreshments had been served and they’d all sang Happy Birthday, Tammy had blown out the candles on his birthday cake, then unwrapped all his presents and thanked all the little girls and sissies that had given him a present, though they’d actually been picked out and bought by their mothers, aunts and step-mothers.

June, Jane, Corrine, Mrs. Sanford and Barbara looked on with loving smiles at the sissies and little girls Sissies Charlene, Marybeth and Maryanne had given him presents, and had also received the usual hugs and kisses on their cheeks by all the women when they arrived.

“Sweetheart,” said June, “give Charlene, Marybeth and Maryanne a nice kiss on the lips. They’re going to be your girlfriends now, too.”

The sissies all came together in the middle of the living room and took turns leaning towards each other, one after the other, their hands a little away from the sides of their dresses for balance, and kissed each other as the women looked on with approving smiles and made gushy feminine comments about how precious they were.

“Wasn’t that nice?” said June. “Now you’re all girlfriends and can play Hop-Scotch and Jacks and jump rope together.”

“Yes sweetheart,” June told Tammy. “You can tell each other your little girl secrets before you go to sleep.”

When Tammy had unwrapped all his presents and they’d all finished their cake, lemonade and ice cream, June told Tammy, the real little girls and the other sissies they could go outside so they could play Hop-Scotch together. They all eagerly went outside, and the women began to talk about their sissies’ little girliness.

“I’m so happy Tammy likes being my little girl,” said June. “He loves wearing his panties, poufy slips and dresses now, and I’m always giving him hugs and kissing his cheeks.”

“Yes,” said Corrine. “At first I petticoated my nephew Maryanne because I don’t particularly like little boys. But it was so much fun once he began to behave like a good little girl. Now his mother has sold her house and moved in with me so we could take turns dressing him in the morning.”

“I love Charlene being my little girl too,” said Jane. “I don’t think he was a sissy when I first dressed him in some pretty clothes for a little girl. But after a little while, he liked it so much that I knew I made him a sissy, and now he behaves just like a real little girl. I couldn’t be happier. Making a little boy a sissy and teaching him to behave like a good little girl makes me feel so wonderful.”

“I agree with you completely,” said June. “And now I’m not lonely anymore. It was really a blessing having Timmy move in with me after his parents died in that awful accident. It’s just as nice to have a little sissy as a real little girl.”

“I’m going to see about getting Charlene hormone treatments and sexual reassignment surgery when he’s a little older,” said Jane Belmore.

“Maybe you should consider it June,” advised Jane. “Once a boy had been turned into a sissy, he’ll never fit it with regular boys when he gets older. Besides, think how nice it would be to see him as your real teenage girl going to her first prom dance with a corsage on her pretty gown.”

“Oh, yes. It would be wonderful,” admitted June. “I’ll have to give it some thought. I certainly wouldn’t want Tammy to be unhappy when he grows up.”

“Christine Jorgensen has turned out to be a well-adjusted, happy and pretty woman following her hormone treatments and surgery,” said Jane. “It’s hard to believe she was once a man in the army. She said she loves wearing her garter belt, panties, her petticoats and full dresses with her nylons and high heels.”

“I wonder how pretty a teenage girl he’d be if I do get him the surgery and hormone treatments,” mused June. “I think he’d be a pretty young women when he grows up. In a way, it’ll be sort of sad though . He’s such a cute little sissy. I sort of wish he didn’t have to grow up. I just love having my nephew behaving like a good little girl now. He loves it when we wear our mother-and-daughter-dresses. I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t really been able to show him off to all my other women friends yet. But making him a sissy if he wasn’t one, and dressing him like my little girl has made both of us so happy. Actually, he may have been a sissy even before I petticoated him, so it was probably the best thing for his happiness and my own as well.”

“Yes,” agreed Jane Belmore. “And Charlene would be very unhappy if I told him he had to be a boy again and couldn’t wear dresses anymore. Psychiatric studies of sissies has shown that it becomes too ingrained in their psyche to be able to be well-adjusted and happy regular boys again after we’ve made them sissies. It really can’t be undone without making them seriously disturbed and unhappy. They’ll always have their happy memories of being pretty little girls haunting them if they don’t become real teenage girls with hormone treatments and sex change surgery.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Tammy happy,” said June. “I owe it to him, and I know he’d love being a teenage girl and wearing a lovely gown when goes to his high school dances. I always did. Besides, being a woman is so much nicer than being a man. All they do is work and watch sports on television or play golf on their days off. They never know how nice it feels to be wearing a new dress or pretty petticoat. And keeping myself looking as pretty as I can is something I do to set a good example for Tammy.”

Then Corrine began talking about a dress sale she went to by herself while Maryanne stayed home with his mother, and the conversation drifted away from the talk about their sissies and was concerned just with buying their own dresses and lingerie.

They were so occupied with their talking that they hadn’t noticed the new Buick that had to park on the street with the overflow of cars because there was no room left in the driveway. A somewhat older woman went up the walk and pressed the button for the front door chimes, dying to see the darling little sissy in his party dress her daughter June had told her about.

“Mother! I’m so glad you could make it to Tammy’s party,” said June. “Come in. Tammy’s outside playing Hop-Scotch with the other girls. But they’ll be back in here soon. Hey everybody, this is my mother Shirley.”

They gave each other a little hug, Shirley made a hello in the direction of the other women and sat down after handing her daughter a few birthday presents for Tammy.

“It’s not all that much June,” said Shirley. “Just a pretty little dress I saw on sale, and a pearl necklace with a matching bracelet. Every little girl or sissy should have some pearls to wear on special occasions. I hope they come back in soon. I’m dying to see Tammy in his party dress.”

“I got it at Best & Co. in Boston last week,” Shirley replied. “I love Boston. It seems so much more cultured than hectic New York City. At noontime, I had a prime rib dinner with all the fixings at Durgin Park. But now I suppose I’ll have to start dieting for a week. By the way, would you mind if I stayed here for a few days or perhaps a week? We could shop together for Tammy. I’d love to see him wearing a pretty little dress I’d bought for him.”

“Of course mother,” answered June. “I’ll make up the bed in the back spare room with some fresh sheets for you. The front spare room is Tammy’s pretty bedroom now. You’ll love it when you see it. I bought him a canopy bed with a lace trimmed ruffled pink canopy. Its pillow cases have lace trim also. It’s so pretty I almost wish I was a little girl again. Tammy loves it. Take a look in his closet and bureau drawers too. I’ve been buying him the prettiest panties, bouffant slips and dresses for a little girl I could find. The little lamb didn’t have a chance of not becoming a sissy. I’m not positive he was already a sissy, not that it makes much difference now, because he loves being my little girl and playing with other sissies and real little girls. I’ll have Tammy come in here for a few minutes so you can see him.”

Shirley and the rest of the women continued talking, while June went to the back door and called to Tammy, telling him to come inside for a few minutes. She held him by the hand and led him into the living room, and they stood together in front of Shirley.

“Tammy, this is Aunty’s mommy,” said June. “Say hello to Gramma like a good little girl.”

Tammy curtseyed like June had taught him to do when he met ladies and said, “Hi Gramma. Aunty bought me my party dress.”

“Aren’t you a pretty little girl,” said Shirley. “Let Gramma give you a nice big hug sweetheart.”

She stood up and bent down as she wrapped her arms around Tammy, gave him a hug and kissed his cheek, making him giggle.

“You can go back out and play with the other girls now Tammy,” said Shirley. “But always be nice to the other little girls when you play with them sweetheart.”

About 4:00 that afternoon the party came to an end, with the ladies collecting their little girls and sissies to go home. Tammy came back inside and began playing with a new doll that had been one of his birthday presents. The diapers that came with it were kept closed with sticky tabs instead of diaper pins that would be too dangerous for a little girl.

June took Tammy upstairs to take his party dress off and change him into a different slip and dress. She decided to have Tammy wear a pink bouffant slip that had been one of his birthday presents. When it was on him, Tammy looked down at it with a happy smile.

Then June put him in the pretty blue dress Barbara had bought for him.

“Tomorrow we’ll put your hair back in a ponytail and bangs again sweetheart,” said June.

Shirley always pitched in to help when she visited June, and had gone into the kitchen and began washing the ice cream dishes, plates for the cake, the silverware and the glasses used for the lemonade, and to put the remains of Tammy’s birthday cake away while June began to stack the folding chairs she had rented to have enough seats for the party.

Just as Shirley was washing the dishes, a thunder storm began with bright close flashes of lightning, and very loud claps of thunder. Tammy came running into the kitchen crying.

“Gramma...Gramma,” cried Tammy. “Make it stop.”

“I didn’t know our little girl was afraid of thunder,” said Shirley. “I guess I’ll have to do what the ladies out west do with their little girls when it thunders. Kneel down near the sink sweetheart, and I’ll hide you from the thunder and lightning.”

Tammy knelt down and looked up to see Shirley lifting her dress and petticoats up just before she dropped them down over him.

“You stay under my dress and petticoats til that bad old storm goes away Tammy,” said Shirley. “The lightning won’t know where you are now. You’ll be safe there precious.” Then she continued drying the dishes with a dish towel and placing them in a rack on the sink’s drain board.

Later that evening, Tammy was sitting between June and Shirley watching Aunty’s and Shirley’s favorite television program, The Ann Sothern Show. Miss Sothern was a secretary in an office and always wore petticoats under her dresses.

“Aunty,” asked Tammy, “do all ladies and girls wear petticoats?”

“Most ladies do sweetheart,” answered June, “and all little girls wear poufy slips. Why Tammy? Don’t you like having your dresses stay out nice and pretty?”

“Yes Aunty,” replied Tammy. “I like to be pretty like you and Gramma are. But I saw a lady in the store when we went shopping that wasn’t wearing any petticoats.”

“Sometimes ladies don’t wear them because their bosses won’t allow them to do wear them while they’re working,” explained June.

“Why?” persisted Tammy.

“Because men keep looking at them instead of paying attention to their work, ”explained June. “Big boys and men like to see a lady’s or girl’s petticoats because they’re so pretty.”

“I’m glad I’m a girl Aunty,” said Tammy, “cause I like wearing my dresses and slips a lot more than wearing blue jeans.”

Tammy was now eleven years old. He still received lots of nice presents on his birthdays, but June didn’t have a big party for him anymore. Shirley would stay for a few days with them now and then, and go shopping with June and Tammy. Sometimes Jane Belmore would go with them. June would bring Tammy and Jane would bring Charlene. Charlene had become Tammy’s best friend.

“You and Charlene are getting to be a big girls now Tammy,” June told him. “Pretty soon you’ll both be going to dances in front of the bandstand in the park after supper.”

At this point in his life, Tammy had hardly any memories of when he was a little boy, and the few memories that he did have were rapidly dimming and being replaced by his happy memories of his little girl years.

June continued to take pictures of Tammy to keep in the big photo album she’d bought just for pictures of her sissy.

“June, would you like to go with Charlene and me?” asked Jane. “I want to get Charlene a pastel blue bouffant slip that’ll go nice with her blue dresses. Mrs. Simmons’ Little Princess Dress Shop advertised some in the paper.”

“As a matter of fact Jane,” replied June, “Tammy got a stain on one of her pink bouffant slips, and I’d like to get a replacement for it. I’ll get Tammy ready to go and get my hat and gloves. I’ve been meaning to buy the slip for Tammy for a few days now. The weather’s nice today, so we might as well take advantage of it. Francine said the dress shop is very nice.”

They made a quick drive downtown and soon Jane had parked her car along the sidewalk about a block away from the store.

“Seems to be a lot of shoppers out today,” said Jane. “Guess we’ll have to walk a little way to the store.”

As they began walking down the sidewalk, June checked to see that Tammy wasn’t swinging his arms like boys do when they walk, and was taking smaller steps like girls do. She was pleased to see her sissy keeping his hand on top of his little pocketbook that hung from his left shoulder, and just kept his right arm and hand down along the side of his dress when he walked. A glance at Charlene showed Jane had properly trained her sissy to walk the same way. Both sissies also copied the limp wrist of girls and women, and always kept their knees and feet together when they were standing or sitting down.

Neither sissy hadn’t been afraid to be seen in public for quite a while now, nor did they have to be. Both of them really looked like eleven year old girls.

“In a way Charlene’s a little luckier than Tammy,” said June. “Just about all colors go well with her natural blond hair. Francine offered to dye Tammy’s hair blond, but I think her black hair is pretty enough, especially when she wears the pink hair band she’s wearing today.”

Mrs. Simmons’ face reminded June of her mother, and was a very patient and helpful woman when she waited on her customers. Once Jane had told them what they were looking for, she led them to three long racks of bouffant slips. After only four or five minutes, both June and Jane had picked out the slips they wanted to buy for their sissies, now getting close to their twelfth birthday.

“Girls, we’ll go to the dressing rooms and have you try them on now to make sure they fit,” said Jane.

The two women went into the dressing rooms with their sissies to help them. Then they went out and the sissies stood together in front of the women. Some panties, petticoats, bouffant slips and petti-panties were either hung on the wall or lying around waiting to be put away in the stockroom. June took her camera from her big pocketbook to take a picture of them.

                    “Face this way and together girls,” said June. “Tammy, hold up the extra panties that come with the slip.   That’s it.   Now don’t move.”
        Her camera flashed and another picture would soon be in June’s photo album of her sissy’s pre-teen years.
        “They’re growing up so fast,” said Jane.
        “Yes,” agreed June. “They’ll be teenagers in another year or so.   Soon they’ll be getting their hair permed at Francine’s salon and going together to the dances in the park.   I’m glad Charlene is such a good girl.   She’s just the type of girl I want Tammy to have for her best friend.”
        “Well, I’ve tried my best to teach Charlene to be a good girl,” said Jane.
        “No need to worry Jane,” said June. “You definitely succeeded.   When Charlene comes to my home for a sleepover with Tammy, she always very polite to me.   By the way, I’ve been thinking about getting the sex change surgery and hormone treatments for Tammy.”

“I’m glad to hear it June,” replied Jane. “It’s really the best thing for both of them. I couldn’t bear to have Charlene being unhappy for the rest of his life. And we both know they’ll love being women during their adult years. But we’ll have to go to the town hall and get their ages changed. They’re supposed to be eighteen to get the surgery done. But Dorothy Gibson, the sex change surgeon, explained to me that the surgery and hormones are much more effective if it’s done before their bodies start changing during puberty. We’ll sign their names to the permission forms for them.

We know perfectly well what will keep them happy when they grow up. The women in town refer to her sissy patients as Gibson girls after it’s done. Isn’t that cute. We owe it to them for their future happiness.”

“You’re right Jane,” said June. “Besides, it’s for our own happiness as well theirs. Just the thought of letting Tammy grow up and be a man is too awful to contemplate. And I’m sure it would make him very unhappy to not be able to wear petticoats and dresses anymore.”

But the operation was such an invasive type of surgery that June really still had some doubts about getting her sissy hormone treatments and the sex change surgery. As a result, the day came when she told Tammy that it was time for him to be a boy again.

Tammy off-and-on cried for the rest of the day. But June stuck to her guns and tried to explain to him that he really was a boy, and he had to begin behaving like a big boy now. However it still took Tammy a week before he went along with the idea.

Now June had to teach him how boys behave and play sports. But June had trained him to be a girl so well that it took another week before he stopped putting his hands behind him and smoothing his blue jeans under him when he sat down.

Eventually Tammy, now Timmy again, finished high school and went to college. As mentioned before, Timmy was a bright little boy, and next he decided to go to medical school on a scholarship he’d won, and become a doctor. He graduated from medical school with the second highest marks in his class, did his internship at a local hospital, finished his residency and set up a practice in his hometown as a general practioner. He still lived with his Aunt June.

But when he was home he often thought back to his happy days when his aunt had made him her little girl. It seemed like something special was missing in his life.

When personal computers became commonplace, Dr. McKay (formerly Tammy) bought one and set about learning about them as much as he could. Soon he was a regular computer “geek.”

One evening after work, he was exploring different websites and found Petticoat Pond. There was an ad on it by a woman known as UniKaren that sold dresses and petticoats for “adult little girls.” He quickly ordered four of the prettiest dresses for little girls in his adult size, along with some panties and little girl petticoats to wear under it from a seller on another website called eBay. Shoes were a bit of a problem, but after a while he found and bought from an internet dealer some white strap-and-buckle shoes in his size, and wore them with his little girl clothes.

Rather trying to keep his intentions a secret which would only be found out sooner or later by his aunt, he told her about it. June had smiled and said she’d help him.

By now June was no longer a young woman, but she felt like a young mother now that she had a little girl living with her again!