I am most grateful to those ladies who have put forward the idea of petticoating and baby treatment as a way of controlling and disciplining unruly males. My sister, who is a widow, had a lad of 20 who was getting quite out of hand, until I suggested that putting Master Troublesome back into nappies might make him realise that he was still legally only a child, firmly subject to maternal authority. She agreed to try it, and we had a lot of fun getting together 'Baby's' first outfit.

His frock was of pale blue taffeta, with a yoke neck edged with lace, tiny baby puffed sleeves, and a very short, full skirt which was above mid-thigh length, as we both felt that to achieve the full humiliating effect his petticoats and nappies should at all times be shamingly revealed. The petticoats themselves we made in princess style, buttoning up at the back with little buttons, so that 'Baby' could not remove them, and with a lovely deep frill of lace around the hem, which again he was bound to find terribly humiliating.

We aranged that he should be put into his new baby outfit at the start of the summer holidays. This way, he could be kept for weeks continuously in nappies, which we felt would be long enough to break down any initial resistance, and would make it quite clear to him that we were serious in our plans for him. Of course there was quite a struggle when it came to getting him dressed, but I have a very authoritative manner, and we succeeded in getting his little petticoat and frock buttoned on, and his hands were then tied behind his back whilst he was gently powdered with baby powder and a pink puff, and baby-oiled and then fastened up into his pretty fluffy nappies.

As he lay there, glowering at us and squirming helplessly, I pushed a child's dummy into his mouth and tied it firmly in place with a ribbon around the back of his neck. Then I took a pair of my own knickers and pulled them over his head, tying them in place with another length of ribbon. Blindfolded by my knickers, and by now sobbing with shame, he was led over to his cot and firmly strapped down on his back. He was told that, apart from a bottle feed every four hours, he would remain exactly as he was until he agreed to behave himself and not to struggle any more. When he was to have his bottle we had a lace-trimmed very pretty bib with his name, 'Baby Pansy', appliqued on it in satin.

He held out for nearly two days. Each time, after we had given him his bottle, the dummy was stuffed back into his mouth, and his face and head were imprisoned again in my knickers.Twice he was wet, and had to have his nappies changed, and this task was left to me, as we felt that he would find it even more humiliating to have his auntie handling him so intimately. Towards the end of the second day he had endured enough, and after I had given him his bottle, he whimpered that he would be a 'good baby' and wouldn't give us any more trouble if we would only unstrap him.

Looking down at him, with his frock and petticoats all twisted up and his thick fluffy nappies exposed, tears and dribbles of milk running down his scarlet cheeks and onto his bib, I felt very thrilled. I called my sister in, and in front of her he had to repeat that he would be a 'good baby' in the future. As I wouldn't remove his dummy for him, he had to say it with the rubber teat still in his mouth, which gave his words a deliciously baby sound, and when we did finally release him, all he could do was stand there with his head bowed, and looking miserable and quite exquisitely ridiculous!

He has been trained to talk in an absurd baby lisp, usually forced to crawl on all fours, taught to amuse himself with his dolls and other childish toys in his play pen, and generally made in every way to 'be a baby' for our amusement and pleasure. That was four months ago now, and every night since then, on his return home, and always at weekends, he goes back into nappies and baby dress, and sleeps nappied and bedummied and firmly strapped down in his cot. My sister is absolutely delighted with the whole situation, and she assures me that this treatment will be continued indefinitely, as he is so much easier to handle now.

So, once again, many thanks to your readers for their suggestion.

Miss G.L.
Avon.

Well, he certainly did learn his lesson, didn't he? And the treatment was effective, as the writer points out at the end of her letter. Many women have written to me pointing out that they have got some very good ideas regarding the administration of petticoat discipline from this magazine, so we too have been a catalyst for its increasing use in the home.
Susan