EXIT THE BOGEY

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12394, 13 March 1926, Page 9

EXIT THE BOGEY

i BY

ANNE FAYRE.

In his ‘“Uncommercial Traveller, ** Dickens describes how, when ha ,wias *■ small boy, he spent sleepless nfgfrte ob account of his nnrse’s tales—particularly about a rat which had «n over*, whelming love of ten penny nails and; boys. - '_ t * This was related with XHckensfs'-won-derful burlesque: but there k no doubt ~ that many small children owe, if not sleepless nights, at least sleepless home to the good old bogey, even though he may ony take the- form of the “dustman” or ‘‘the man at the Zoo -who lets the lion ont to eat ‘little boys and girls who are not in bed- by seven. Upon the subject' of Lbogies generally, however, there has been a dfstinct step in the right direction, because I have for the lasi few years noticed that tiny children no longer fear the dark: in fact they don’t: knees it as “the dark,” but merelyuaS natural sequence to the departurenurse and the switching-off of. Of course a great point is -ngMr to make bed a punishment, bat rn»>; to “boost” it as a treat, as for Instance:— - .'Vs.' “Going to bed already? How'nice! Auntie wishes she was, but she has. lots of work to do” ...... and sO on. Nothing pleases a child so much as to think that he is doing what everyone else wants-to and can’t. The idea may not be - everlasting; but it is human natnre and applies. jta. all children who are not prigs. Therefore mothers and numt»who want bedtime to be in truth a peaceful hour, do well never to make* too much of a favour of any staying up late; just treat it u la in on table circumstance attended upon the child’s having gone to a party. It’s all in the power of suggestion. The great thing, however, i# to Sew that while the bogey is abolished rorfS the modern'child, we do not become if. so practical as to abolish fairies M*, 1