Maggie is the host for Throwback Thursday this week and asks some questions about our memories of bedtime.

This week’s prompt is: Nighttime Rituals

You can either free write using these questions as inspiration or answer the questions as they are.

Did you share a room with a sibling, or did you have a room of your own?

I’ve done both. When Naomi was a baby she slept in our parents room. We had a two bedroom flat and my room, the box room we called it, was tiny. Later we moved to a bigger house but there we shared a room. Then we came to Australia where for a short time We shared a room with our cousins. That was cramped but at least I scored the top bunk. Finally, when we moved to a place of our own when I was eleven I got my own room.

Did you resist going to bed or did you go willingly?

I think I often went reluctantly. Who wants to stop playing and go to bed? I still associate the theme from “Z Cars”, a British police drama, with mum saying “Time for bath and then bed.”

Did someone put you to bed, tuck you in, or read you a bedtime story?

Mum always came to tuck us in and say goodnight. She read to us a lot but I don’t remember if she read bedtime stories.

Was there a religious component, like prayers, to your nighttime routine?

Maybe when I was really little. I seem to have a vague memory but on the whole no. We were not a religious family.

Did you go to sleep immediately, or lie awake?

I think I usually fell asleep pretty quickly.

Did you journal, read a book, talk on the phone or with your siblings, or watch television when you were supposed to be sleeping?

I liked to read in bed and often did but usually only until the allowed time for lights out.

Did you ever sleepwalk?

Not to my knowledge

Did you remember having dreams? If you dreamed, did you ever have bad dreams? Do you remember any dreams specifically?

Yes, I had dreams although I don’t remember much about the ones I had as a small child. I think I dreamed about war sometimes. I’m not sure why, either something I’d seen on the news or I was dreaming of a past life. I do remember sometimes waking up in tears. When I was little it was the early sixties and there was a lot of tension in the world (that hasn’t changed).

When I was a bit older I had recurring bad dreams about school, in fact I had those until I was well into adulthood. They were upsetting at first but as time went on my dream self became more assertive and said “I don’t have to be here”. Eventually I stopped having them.

Were you afraid of the dark? Did you sleep with a nightlight or sneak into your sibling’s or parent’s room at night because you were afraid?

I can recall being afraid of a scary white object in mum’s room which turned out to be a petticoat on a hanger. I sometimes heard noises that made me nervous. I didn’t want to see a ghost so I would keep my eyes shut.

Did you have or attend sleepovers or slumber parties? Feel free to elaborate.

No and no.