I would like to congratulate you on your most informative and enlightening magazine. In particular I enjoy the correspondence 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 Matron 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 its 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 Matron 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 Matron 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 allowed 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. I addition he had to wear a full length, soft winceyette nightie with a pretty floral or babyish pattern. If he was any trouble he would go across my knee for a bedtime spanking and I would tuck him into bed with a baby's dummy pinned to the bodice of his nightie that I insisted he use to calm the boisterous nature that occurs in all boys. Since I also prefer to retire early, I felt it was not unreasonable to put him to bed early so that I still had personal time to myself. Jonathan is now happily married and still enjoys the security of soft flannel nighties and early bedtimes 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 PPM. I can certainly understand the need for a more disciplined approach to problematic individuals whether by enforcing pyjama discipline and early bedtimes, 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 to share their experiences on your pages.
Ms Penelope Elliott
Appropriate pyjamas and nightdresses are an important part of early bedtime punishment, so I am grateful to Penelope for this letter. One-piece bunny suits, especially popular in the United States, are very effective for older children who complain about having to go to bed at a sensible time. A nappy and soft plastic baby bloomers can be worn underneath.
I hope that we get more correspondence on this fascinating subject.
Nanny Smackbottom
A sensible winceyette nightie as worn by Jonathan
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