Posted By
Mark, United Kingdom
Its easy to get nostalgic about growing up in the 70s but in reality it was very different to how children are treated nowadays.
Both wife and i had very traditional conservative middle class parents.As was then often the case our parents were extremely strict.
Aged 8 in 1970 my bedtime was 6.30pm at the very latest and any arguments meant the following day i had to get straight into my pyjamas when i got home from school often with relatives or our neighbours with their children in our house.
I remember many times being in bed so very early.
Aged 10 i was was bathed and in my dressing gown and slippers at 6pm and in bed at 7pm usually.
My wife was put to bed at 6pm age 10 in 1974 and then she was sent to a boarding school where discipline was severe.
Anyway corporal punishment was standard in UK schools in the 60 and 70s.Boys in my school aged 5-11 were given the slipper in front of the class on the shorts whilst touching toes, If it was deemed appropriate, and believe me it usually was.
Shorts and underpants were pulled down once again in front of the class and we were slippered.
I remember aged 9, i had made marks on the new flooring in our classroom with my shoes.If it rained we had to take our shoes off when we came in from the playground. That day i didn't take them off and i got the most horrendous thrashing in front of everyone and to make it worse when my mother came to collect me my teacher told her and suggested to her that i needed to be disciplined further when i got home.
Which my mother did in front of the family with my fathers slippers.This was standard punishment for myself and all my friends at home.
My wife as a child at home received many such punishments.The 60 and 70s were different.For most children of conservative middle class parents discipline was harsh and humiliating.
It was interesting reading your memory of discipline in the 70's , I do not think my parents were quite as strict but must admit can remember being slippered at school and sent to bed very early at home sometimes without dinner, no TV or Computer's in the room and god help me if I made a noise.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think back I think most of the time I deserved my punishment and I did respect my parents fully .
Yes I remember those days very well and having early bedtimes. Through the week bedtime would always be 7pm, my brother and myself would arrive home from school around 4-30pm and we would have to go straight upstairs for our baths. Our Mother would get us both bathed and afterwards I would be straight into pyjamas we would then go back downstairs for tea which would always be 5pm. afterwards we could play or do other things and then at 7pm it would be bedtime. Sometimes our friends would call to see if we were going out and our Mother would say no as we were both ready for bed Occasionally if it was a nice day out we could go out in the garden with our friends till bedtime although we would have to stay in our pyjamas which of course our friends thought it amusing.
ReplyDeleteIf Mum and Dad were going out bedtime would sometimes be moved earlier than 7pm to 6-30pm. If had been naughty and were not at school Mother would put us to bed sometimes as early as 3pm in the afternoon. This continued till I thing I was around 12yrs old. Did anyone else experience anything similar?