Saturday 18 April 2015

Older boys punished by being made to wear short trousers was a popular theme in PPM in later editions. Matron always had strong opinions on discipline and this exchange showcases that. Interesting too, to see letters from Helen Good, an advocate of pyjama discipline who was once very prominent on sites such as ours.


Dear Matron

I feel I must join in the debate about the merits of short trousers for older boys.
Up until about twenty years ago it was not unusual for me to come across boys in their late teens who still wore short trousers. It is much more difficult today to encourage or indeed enforce such behaviour. Twenty or thirty years ago a community would see an older boy wearing grey flannel schoolboy shorts, or outside play shorts and think it was none of their business. Times have changed, possibly for the better possibly not but with the advent of social media and instant worldwide communications nothing remains "behind closed doors" anymore. Sometimes a boy would continue to wear short trousers merely because his youth was being extended beyond what was considered normal. Today we complain that children grow up too fast and mourn the loss of innocence in the very young, yet now we condemn as if it is some sort of child cruelty, a boy who wears short trousers past toddler age. When I was young, boys who were six foot tall would still be playing games outside wearing their short trousers. Indeed my own brother continued to wear shorts after he started work at the local Co-op for quite a few years. As long as they were presentable and still fitted, my mother saw no reason to purchase him longs. In my own experience I always expected any boy under my tutelage up to the age of at least twenty, to wear short, school boy style trousers during the day, especially when he was outdoors. Ironically, when he was safely ensconced indoors for the day, he would be wearing long trousers in the form of pyjamas. Pyjamas would be donned and worn around the house until the wearers prescribed bedtime. Shorts are a splendid item of boys clothing that are dismissed too quickly by society today I fear.

Helen Good

Helen,
It would be marvellous if we could return to the good old days, at least as far as older boys wearing short trousers is concerned. But as you say, times have changed and I do not think we shall see this again.
My own brother too, wore short trousers out of school from 15 to 19 at my mother's instruction and generally accepted her decision.  This was 20 years ago and even in those days you did not see many boys over the age of 13 still in short trousers for school (I think several Prep schools still had boys of 13 wearing compulsory shorts as part of their uniform at the time).
You write:-
"I always expected any boy under my tutelage up to the age of at least twenty, to wear short, school boy style trousers during the day,".
What exactly do you mean by "tutelage"? Were you a private tutor? A school mistress? Perhaps you could explain.
I completely agree that children nowadays grow up too fast and if boys were kept in short trousers as part of the school uniform to 15 or 16 that would slow this process down. I remember reading about a school in Scotland where boys wore short trousers until they left at 18. Unfortunately the school closed down in July 2000.

Dear Matron

Obviously I owe a duty of care to past employers and the young boys I have tutored, but I will endeavour to answer your queries as best I can. Over the course of more years than I care to think about I have been witness to more than one instance where a boy, having been home tutored, has worn short trousers beyond seventeen. The mention of the school in Scotland reminded me that one of those instances occurred there but I shall not reveal the exact location even though this was many years ago. This particular boy's mother found it difficult to come to terms with the changing, modern world of the 1970's and sought to protect her son from, as she perceived it, it's immoral ways. Simon was dressed in traditional school uniform when I first encountered him, which included grey school trousers. I admit my first impression was that of a younger boy. Simon was sixteen at the time but, wearing  shirt and tie, cap and blazer,  originally I assumed he was a younger brother.

It was partly my subtle recommendations of the benefits of short trousers that Simon was re-introduced to them. His mother was very encouraging if not a little annoyed that she had not thought of this herself, but nevertheless she and Governess invited me to accompany them when they took Simon to the boys outfitters shop in town.

As we sat on the bus that Saturday morning, Simon repeatedly enquired as to why we were heading into town, however we remained silent until we entered the shop. Simon was most perturbed to discover we were purchasing schoolboy short trousers and grey knee socks for him to wear during lessons and in addition some play shorts for him to wear outside of the classroom.

Indeed Governess had to tan his backside to cure his tantrum and it was a very tearful and subdued Simon who sat on the bus heading home and his mother sent him straight to bed upon our return.

It was part of my duties to report to his mother or Governess if Simon failed to present himself for lessons correctly attired and that first week he twice tried to attend lessons wearing longs. Although I always felt guilty as he would invariably be punished after I informed on him, I felt I had no choice and finally Governess confiscated his two pairs of long trousers.

Simon frequently attended Church, or the Kirk as it was known, on Sunday mornings, wearing his new style school uniform and not once did I hear adverse comment from any of the congregation or the minister, who was, I believe one of the earliest female ministers of the church, about Simon's appearance sudden adherence to short trousers.

When Simon was not wearing school uniform he wore his play shorts but these were quite a bit shorter than his school ones. Made from cotton and usually in beige or brown, they had elasticised waists and he seemed quite happy enough to wear them when outside at the weekends. Although to be fair he was never outside a great deal or for very long.

After tuition was finished for the day at 5 pm, Saturdays at noon, (we began at 7.30), his governess took him away. When I next saw him at supper at 6.30 Simon was already dressed in his pyjamas ready for bed. Indeed, his mother insisted on a 7.30 bedtime for Simon throughout my time with them and I cannot deny that Simon was subject to various punishments including receiving the strap or to be accurate the tawse, on his hands and on his buttocks too. He also was subjected to the childish punishments of spending time in the corner with hands on head and early bedtimes.

Undoubtedly his mother's ability to mostly isolate him from the outside world contributed to her success in delaying his, "entry to hell's inferno," as she so dramatically described the world outside. However I did learn that Simon went on to attend university but after graduating, returned to the maternal home and once more became subject to his mother's discipline.

Helen Good

A very interesting story Helen. I am not surprised that you never heard adverse comment about Simon's appearance. Whether he is 8 or 18, a schoolboy is going to look smarter in short trousers and knee socks than in long trousers. I will also say that whenever I had charge of boys I insisted on an immaculate turn out for church - both cleanliness and smartness.
I also like the sound of the lad's play shorts, though it is a shame that he did not spend more time out of doors, as that is so important for healthy development. Short trousers in the sort of weather we are "enjoying" at the moment help to make a boy hardy and to remind him that the world is not designed around the comfort of schoolboys.
Whenever I have been asked to look at an institutional regime for boys I have, almost invariably, recommended that they be made to get up earlier and be sent to bed earlier. So lessons from 7.30. into pyjamas by 6.30 and bed by 7.30 sounds a very good rule to me.
You were quite right to report Simon if he did not come to your lessons properly dressed. It is up to the adults who have authority over a boy to decide what he shall wear and it is the boy's duty to obey them.
If Simon was not properly dressed he was disobedient and also insolent towards you. I hope that rudeness was properly dealt with.
As for feeling guilty about  Simon's punishments, I have been a school matron and visited many establishments for boys at home and abroad, and I can tell you that corporal punishment is the best way to instil in the boys correct behaviours.

Matron

22 comments:

  1. I have a great interest in the wearing of short trouser by older boys. Things are different in South Africa and older boys continue to wear short trousers to school in private boys schools often up until they are 18 or 19. That is today. My older brother had been misbehaving and got involved with a bad crowd at school. He was very far behind in his studies and it was decided when he was 18 to send him to a private boys school which focused on discipline. He was so far behind he was assessed at being at the same level as 15 year olds and that was the class he ended up in. This short sharp shock worked and within on term he had changed his tune. My parents deliberately chose a school where the short trousers were very short. Overnight this tall (6'3") unkempt boy was transformed with having to wear short trousers. He did not wear long trousers ever while he was there, even at home. He was 22 when he left school and during that time he wore very short grey shorts to school and short corduroy shorts at home. If he misbehaved he had to wear juvenile pull-on corduroy playshorts and that did the trick. I believe some private boys schools in New Zealand also insist that senior boys wear short trousers.

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    1. Thank you for your comment, a very interesting contribution.

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  2. Yesterday I was sat out in a local park and i got chatting to a lady she was older than me and we got talking about when we were kids and discipline and things. I told her I got sent to bed early a lot. She said her mother was extremely strict the her and her 4 brothers. She said that they got spanked frequently and her mum always did in in their pj's and sent them to bed early. If it was weekend or school holidays she often put them to bed in the afternoon if they were being naughty. And she strapped them in front of anyone there. I said my mum had my in my pj's after school a lot and she said that she got punishment like that as did her brothers. Her mum made them go to bed at 6pm until they were 10. So it wasn't just me who got this.

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  3. I wore short grey trousers at Prep school until I was almost 14 but was then home schooled in a room converted to a traditional school classroom with a blackboard and desks. My parents continued to keep me in short grey trousers as part of a complete school uniform including blazer and cap at all times until I was 20 years old! I was never allowed long trousers and attended church, Sunday school, and even weddings in my schoolboy uniform. People thought I was about five to six years younger than my actual age as I was quite small with a slight build and could still easily fit into a Preparatory school uniform at 20 and older.

    I was eventually allowed longs a few months before my 21st birthday but was often returned to shorts as a punishment until I left home at 29. I frequently had the backs of my legs slapped by both Mummy and Daddy when in shorts which would leave my legs bright red. This even happened in front of some visitors.

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  4. I remember as a teenage boy how elated my mother was that she could send me to school in neat grey flannel shorts. it was apparently still part of the school rules that a boy could either wear long grey trousers or grey flannel shorts at the parent's discretion.

    Thus I wore neat little grey shorts right until I left school. The first boy in about fifty years to do so and being the 1970's my grey shorts were incredibly brief. You hardly noticed them under my blue blazer. My uniform was very traditional, navy school blazer, white shirt, blue tie, long grey socks with blue bands at the top and tiny grey flannel shorts, always correctly pressed.

    When I got home from school I used to wear tiny bib shorts and other shorts as well, often with white pelerine socks and Mary Jane sandals. In private my mother used to make me wear a short pleated skirt and frilly panties to round up my attire.

    Like anonymous my thighs were regularly smacked, I was also spanked over my mothers lap on quite a few occasions.

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  5. Just as a general comment here, if I may.
    There are many reasons and arguments given for dressing boys in shorts – some good, some silly, some perverse – but the foremost justifiable ones, IMHO, are aesthetics and health. Foremost, nearly all boys (to age 15 or so) simply look most smart and fitting when donned in a proper pair of trim shorts (and by “proper” I mean shorts with a two-inch maximum inseam– not the ugly long baggy style “shorts” of current fashion). Alas, given the way, things are today, to hope this fashion for boys will become a standard again is quixotic…

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  6. Of course you may,you make some excellent points.Please continue to comment.

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  7. En France dans les années "soixante", la plupart des garçons mettaient des culottes courtes jusque 13/14 ans. j'en ai portées jusqu'à 16 ans passés. Ma mère aimait beaucoup m'habillait de culottes courtes laissant mes cuisses nues aux 3/4. Etant de petite taille, elle n'avait aucun mal à en trouver qui m'allaient parfaitement. En classe, nous n'avions pas d'uniforme mais cela n'empêchait pas les mères d'envoyer leurs fils en culottes courtes. Ma mère pensait que la culotte courte rappelait que nous étions encore des enfants même à 16 ans. De plus cela facilitait les punitions au martinet sur les cuisses.

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    1. In France in the 'sixties', most boys wear short trousers up to 13/14 years. I wore them up to 16 years. My mother loved very much dressing me in shorts leaving three quarters of my thighs bare. Because I was small, she had no trouble finding some that fit me perfectly. In school, we did not have uniforms but that did not prevent mothers from sending their sons in shorts. My mother thought that short pants reminded us that we were still children even at 16 years, in addition it facilitated the use of discipline inflicted on the thighs

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  8. This is interesting, my teenage years were a decade later, but my mother admired this philosophy of keeping boys in shorts to remind them that they were still under parental authority until leaving home. Thus I wore short trousers all the time right until leaving home. Like anonymous my shorts were very brief as well. It was considered healthy. Also thighs are exposed allowing ease of discipline. I had the inside of my thighs slapped as a quick punishment to keep me in order.

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    1. I remember my mother used to make me write essays on why it is important for boys to grow up with bare legs. When I wrote these essays I wore a short plaid mini skirt. This was even better for mummy than my short shorts when checking my essay for error's. She used to lift up my skirt and start by smacking my bottom then work her way down my thighs slapping me right down to the knees.

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    2. Even more unusual was that when doing any homework I often had to wear a gingham school dress. This was not punishment attire but clothing my mother felt would help me concentrate on my work. Then I often kept the dress on until I went to bed.

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    3. I remember my mother viewed my petticoat control as normal not a punishment. So as well as shorts wearing skirts and gingham dresses was just part of my attire. At the weekend for example instead of putting on my grey short trousers for "best" when going out I had to put on one of my gingham school dresses with white pelerine socks, and Mary Jane sandals. Naturally I also wore frilly panties as well.

      When I went out in my gingham dress I had to hold my mothers hand. She used to tell people that there was no reason why boys should not wear dresses. That I looked extremely smart.

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    4. I was always told that my plaid skirts and gingham dresses were a healthy option for me. Perfectly sensible for a young man.

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  9. I am a adult schoolboy who wears short schoolboys shorts and I like it. I also enjoy being spanked over someones knee.

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  10. Am I allowed to put my email address.

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  11. If so,its mcfarlanephilip8@gmail.com

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  12. Philip should you like to put me in short school unfiorm and take me out in publice

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  13. My wife put my son of 15yeres old back in shorts for to week his beaver as been better

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  14. Phillip I wish you whould put me in short trousers

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