Petitions

The petition  is generally written or typed on paper and if you added a quarter to it, still wouldn't buy you a cup of coffee. But in a dominant/submissive relationship they can be very valuable tools.  There are typically two types of petitions used in the lifestyle, the petition for ownership and the petition for play.  The petition for play is rarely used but carries similar characteristics as the petition for ownership.

The petition for ownership is a document prepared by a submissive/slave which is designed to present his or herself to the desired owner.  The petition generally opens with a statement of the submissive's intent and desire of ownership and is followed by what he or she offers in service.  It also will state the submissive's hard limits and areas that may be negotiated.  I have known some petitions to be 20 and 30 pages or longer and others 1 - 3 pages long.  It's all about how in depth the submissive wants to lay out the areas of control he or she is willing to give up and how specific the areas of hard limits he or she needs them to be.  Is a petition really that important some ask.  My response is yes.  These are my reasons..  

All to often in verbal negotiations one or both parties are nervous and we may feel that we have covered all the possible areas,  but the fact is we only touch the surface of things and say well hell anything else can be negotiated as we go along.  This can be a bad thing.. because what if down the road an area comes up that needs to be negotiated, If neither can agree, then this area is lost to one side.  What if it's a very important thing...  Well needless to say I think you may see where I am going with this.  I think the submissive should sit down alone with a clear mind and consider every possible thing that could come into play in the relationship and address them within his or her petition.  It may take days, weeks or even months to write and it will be time well spent. Rushing into a relationship without covering as many things as possible can lend itself to tragic results.  It should be a detailed account of what he or she is willing to offer, willing to do, willing to try and what he or she simply will not do and what is expected in return.  It should include, money and finances, children, family exposure, public play, etc...  The petition should be treated like it's the most important thing in the world... because it is.. it is the submissive's life that is being offered.  Once the petition has been offered and accepted, it should be kept on file and referred back to should there be a question on specific areas.  A priceless tool when you think about it and a necessary one for me.