The Merits of Short Trousers for the Older Boy
By Miss H Good
Over the course of years I have been witness to more than one instance where a male, 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. The 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. When I first encountered Simon he was dressed in traditional school uniform, grey flannel shorts, shirt and tie, cap and blazer and grey knee socks. My first impression was that of a young boy but Simon was actually sixteen.
I soon became accustomed to his mother's wishes and it was part of my duties to report to his mother or governess if Simon failed to present himself for lessons correctly attired. Simon attended Church, or the Kirk as it was known, on Sunday mornings wearing his 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. When Simon was not wearing school uniform he continued to wear shorts but these were shorter than his school ones. Made from cotton and usually in beige or brown, they had an elasticated waist 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. After tuition was finished for the day at 5pm, 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 always wearing 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 punishments that were infantile for a sixteen year old, if he was perceived to have misbehaved he would be sent to bed early, he was spanked across his mother’s knee and would be given corner time.
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 know Simon went on to attend university but I did hear he returned to his maternal home afterwards.
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 we now condemn as 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 long trousers. 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 only 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.
Dear Miss Good,
ReplyDeleteI fully agree that keeping an older boy in short trousers can be excellent way to instil obedience and make him work hard at his studies. Personally, I do not think a boy of 16 is too old for short trousers.
A lady I know was a private tutor in the 1970s and 1980s and would occasionally teach older boys like Simon who were kept in short trousers as part of a proper school uniform well into their late teens. It was usually when a boy had failed his GCE O Levels or A Levels and the parents had decided he should be home schooled and forced to wear uniform to ensure he worked hard. She tutored one boy for two years from age 18 to 20 who was kept throughout in short trousers and blazer and cap. The boy’s parents encouraged my lady friend to use corporal punishment and she frequently strapped the boy’s hand and the backs of his legs when his work was not up to her high standards. The boy was kept in short trousers at all times including outdoors although he had the advantage of being small and looking much younger than his years.
He was always subject to early bedtimes which was especially embarrassing when his parents had guests and he was taken upstairs by his mother to be prepared for bed. One of his mother’s lady friends would babysit and add to the boy’s humiliation by bringing her 15 year old daughter with her who took great delight in treating him as a little boy. The young lady even washed his mouth out with soap for using a rude word when he was 19 and made him cry.
Short trousers are an ideal method of disciplining boys of all ages. Private tutoring is a well known way that boys can be subjected to short trousering.
DeleteDear Miss Good
ReplyDeleteYou wrote that you always expected any boy under your tutelage up to the age of at least twenty to wear short schoolboy style trousers during the day. May I respectfully ask if you if you ever had a boy over the age of 20 as a pupil who had to wear short trousers. For a boy as old as 20 and older it must have been very humiliating. Did you use corporal punishment as well.
I read an account on I think Misterpoll about a boy of 21 who was sent down from university after failing his exams. His father was so angry he put his son back into schoolboy uniform and short trousers for a whole year and hired a lady as his tutor. The lady was very strict and was fully authorised to use the cane and the strap on his hands and legs which she frequently did. The boy had to obey his 16 year old brother who wore long trousers.
Ronnie
I grew up in the 1970's as well. My mother firmly believed that boys should be kept in short trousers full stop until they leave home. Grey flannel shorts for formal and educational requirements, bib shorts for play. I wore many other shorts as well, such as lederhose for cycling (Purchased by an aunt for me). My legs were kept bare until my early twenties.
ReplyDeleteI remember my mother saying that all the time I can buy grey flannel shorts in your size, you can wear them. This meant that I was kept in grey school shorts right until I left home. You can buy school shorts with a waist up to 36 inches. Since at 20 I only had a waist of 32 inches I still wore grey shorts.
DeleteAt home I was put in other attire, usually a short plaid school skirt. Ideal to help boys behave properly. It made life easier for my mother if I needed my bottom spanked either bare or over my panties.
DeleteYour mother was a very sensible women.
DeleteUsually though not always it was shorts when out, plaid skirts and gingham school dresses at home. I did sometimes wear my plaid skirt when out as a change from my shorts. It was considered sensible attire for me.
DeleteHow old were you when your mother stopped dressing you in girls outfits?
ReplyDeleteWell my skirts and dresses were considered part of my normal wardrobe and an excellent training method to bring up a boy. So even at 17 I was told that it is a warm day, you can pop on your plaid skirt. I was so used to wearing a skirt that I just put it on without argument. It was as normal as my short trousers.
DeleteMy petticoat control actually increased as I went through my teens. I used to wear my gingham school dresses outside as well. It was all treated as perfectly normal.
DeleteI wore short trousers for school until I was 13 in 1982 and then went into longs but from the age of 16 my mother made me wear short trousers at home and when visiting relatives and friends. I wore a full prep school uniform of blazer and cap with grey shorts and turnover top socks with Tee strap sandals.
ReplyDeleteI had to wear this uniform including short trousers when receiving extra tuition from a lady tutor for my A levels until I was 18. The lessons were either at home or at my tutor's home.
After I left school my mother started to dress me at home in a kilt (actually a girl's kilted skirt but you would have likely not spotted the difference.) which I wore with girls white knee socks and girls strap shoes. She later had me wear a petticoat with the lace edging showing under the hem of the kilt and frilly knickers so I looked and felt very girlish. I was kept in this clothing into my twenties to keep me under control and to prevent contact with the opposite sex. I was far too submissive to rebel and actually came to enjoy being dressed like this.
The kilt or short plaid skirt and frilly panties is an ideal way for a mother to keep her son under close control. Though I did not wear a petticoat like you I wore a very short plaid skirt so my frilly panties were clearly visible. In some ways I was better off in my gingham dress as at least my panties were covered.
ReplyDeleteThe galling thing was, my mother did not regard my attire as a punishment. So for me wearing a gingham school dress was seen as quite normal. I often went out with my mother in my gingham, white pelerine socks, Mary Jane sandals and panties.
DeleteMy mother used to find it very advantageous to keep me in a short plaid skirt for another reason. It was a simple job to lift up my skirt at any time and smack my bottom. Also my mother often took my panties down and made me lay over her lap. my bare bottom could then be smacked. She believed in a red bottomed boy.
Delete