A letter about bedtime discipline from Pyjama Punishment Monthly

Dear Pyjama Monthly

I would like to congratulate you on your most informative and enlightening magazine. In particular I note with interest the correspondence that appears periodically about bedtime and pyjama discipline. Many years experience nursing on children’s wards helped me enormously when I was given the responsibility of providing a home for my nephew.
My ward sister first advocated to me that children were much better behaved when given early bedtimes and properly attired in nighties and pyjamas, she insisted every child upon admission was dressed accordingly for the duration of their stay. In those days we often had older boys and girls in our care who were reluctant to abide by her rules but she allowed no exceptions. ‘If you do not wish to wear pyjamas,’ she would inform red-faced boys; ‘I can easily provide you with a suitable nightdress.’ Not surprisingly they quickly conformed. Occasionally a particularly irksome boy would wake up after an operation to find himself wearing a floral nightie, a situation explained by Sister to surprised parents as a, ‘necessary expedient to facilitate professional nursing care!’ Boys and girls in their teens, dismayed at being tucked into bed at eight o’clock when the lights were dimmed, were further upset when Sister insisted the side rails of their cot beds were raised just like the younger patients. She would be horrified at children’s wards today that resemble noisy crèche’s, devoid of any discipline.
My nephew came to me aged ten and it was immediately noticeable that he was unused to going to bed at a sensible time. Fortunately I quickly instilled in him the need for a good night's sleep. Jonathan enjoyed a happy normal childhood in my care, but I refused to be the kind of person who allows children to wander the streets at night unsupervised. I would gladly let him attend organised events, collecting him at the end of the evening, but mostly I insisted he was ready for, and in bed, by seven o’clock. AND he had to wear a soft wincyette nightie with a pretty feminine or babyish pattern. If he was any trouble he had to go to bed with a baby's dummy pinned to the bodice of his nightie. Since I also prefer to retire early, I felt it not unreasonable to have personal time to myself. Jonathan is now happily married and still enjoys the security of soft flannel nighties and earlybedtimes thanks to his enlightened wife.
The need to feel secure and wanted is in us all, ensuring our little loved ones are attired in cosy nightwear, and placed in a safe warm bed at night, provides a sense of well-being that anyone would appreciate, whether they are children or adults. There are many varied methods of achieving these values described in PDM. I can certainly understand the need for a more disciplined approach to problematic individuals whether by enforcing baby discipline, or traditional petticoating, but ultimately the objective is the same; to create a happy, loving environment for all concerned.
Please accept my congratulations once again on providing a platform for similar minded women to share their experiences on your pages.

Ms Penelope Elliott