Mrs Green always said that as long as Anthony lived under her roof he had to abide by her rules. Sadly for Anthony, at almost twenty two years old, he had never escaped his mother's malign influence. It was true, that on his twenty first birthday he had been granted a new bedtime of 9 pm, half an hour later than the 8.30 bedtime he had been given at age eighteen, but his pyjama time had remained at 7 pm since he was a thirteen. An hour ago, as she indicated it was time for his bath, Anthony had rebelled.

"Mother, I am twenty one. Far too old for a bedtime and a pyjama time. Also, I am quite capable of taking a bath unsupervised."

He had been sure this confident, adult approach would hold sway with his mother. Even though, at the time of his speech we had been wearing, red plastic sandals, white knee socks, and a pair of yellow, bibbed play shorts.

Sadly his mother had not been impressed with his outburst. Half an hour later, Anthony had been divested of his play clothes, and whilst being most intimately bathed, reminded by her with a mouth soaping, that he always had, and always would refer to her as mummy.

As she buttoned him into his pyjama jacket and stepped him into his pyjama bottoms, mummy mentioned that perhaps he was too immature for "big boy pyjamas," 

She would have a word with Aunty Angela and ask her to sew him some new jimmy-jams that were more suitable for little boys who have temper tantrums about pyjama times and bedtimes. Which, incidentally, now that he had mentioned it, would be changed immediately. From tomorrow, she told her twenty one year old son, his pyjama time would be put back to 5.30 and his bedtime would be 7.30. 

Then, she took him across her lap and re-introduced him to the services of Mr Paddle and regular bedtime spankings, just in case Anthony was tempted to question her authority again.