Just in Case

As a child I loved wearing my white bed wetter's rubbers every night, starting to love being in mine over a period of years. But I didn't wear nappies or wet the bed. My mum said they were "just in case" and were worn next to my skin.

In my case a love/hate relationship with both rubbers and mackintoshes started very young, so young that I can't work out the original reason why.

My earliest memory of rubber mackintoshes and school gaberdines was when I was about 4 years old and it stayed with me all my life. With rubbers it started even earlier.

Like most babies in the early 1950's I wore rubbers. I remembered being in them like any other child, but although I didn't have any issues with bed-wetting after the age of 3 my mum still kept me in them until I was 6 years old.

After I'd come out of rubbers mum still used to keep them in my bedside draw. I can't remember for how long but I do know that they were gorgeous white baby's rubbers that smelt really lovely. I used to put them on ( without her knowing ) after I'd been in bed a while and mum was downstairs watching t.v.

One night when I was about seven, being my usual naughty self, I'd put my lovely white rubbers on and was jumping up and down on my bed - which I did most nights for what seemed like hours, no one ever used to come up to my room.

I'd found a box of matches and it seemed a good idea to see if they would melt the paint on my window frame which after many attempts they did. The paint bubbled up and looked like someone had taken a blow torch to it. It was white gloss paint and now there were brown and black bubbles all over it On top of that I'd burnt my fingers quite badly.

I decided that I'd have to hide the evidence so went into the bathroom where I found a packet of razor blades. I had the idea that I could scrape off the burnt bits and no one would really notice if I pulled the curtains over. The result of my efforts was to take a lot of paint off the window frame and slash my fingers open at the same time. With blood everywhere I went back to the bathroom.

After a good look round and the loss of more blood I began to panic a bit but then I found a big packet of cotton balls which I opened and stuck the cotton balls on all my fingers. Of course the cotton stuck to them, making it difficult to get it off later. I also had blisters from burning myself with the matches and trying to pull off melting paint.

I crept back to my room and tried to pull the curtains across to hide the mess I'd made of the window frame -and got blood all over them. By now I'd had just about enough for one night so I climbed into bed and under my covers. I was a bit shocked and forgot to take my rubbers off. I was laying in bed with very sore hands and covered in blood, my fingers were still bleeding so my blood was now going on the bed clothes.

Not quite finished yet I noticed the light switch. It was quite normal to have an electrical cable hanging from the ceiling with a light switch fitting for turning your bedroom light on and off from the bed. I decided to unscrew the switch with my bloody fingers which was difficult because of the large cotton buds stuck to them and my injuries, but I managed it. I started to fiddle with the wires. Which unknown to me were live. The result was an electrical shock with could have killed me. The current was such that instead of throwing me away from the wires I became held against them like a magnet and it was shocking me all the time.

I must have made such a noise that my mum and good old auntie June rushed into the room. They pulled me away from the switch and of course were horrified at the state I was in. I must have looked as white as a ghost and the blood was all over the bedclothes, tell-tale drops on the carpet and along the landing. And then there was the smell of burning paint - which they first thought was me!

I think I must have been very fortunate to survive but that's what I seem to do best usually as the result of my own actions.

As it happened our doctor lived only doors away and was there within minutes. I was numb all down one arm from the shock and the fingers of both hands were tingling from shock but also the burns. They managed to stop the bleeding. (I'm told that I am one of those people who heal remarkably quickly thank goodness.)

Anyway it was a series of minor injuries in the end and I was given something by the doctor to help me calm down. However, once mum had pulled my bed covers back to check for any other injuries she noticed I had no night clothes on - just my pair of white baby's rubbers. But I wasn't in a fit state to tell her what had happened during my little escapade and she didn't ask me about my rubbers that night.

I was left in them and taken to the bathroom to be cleaned up a bit while auntie changed my bed clothes. Once in the bathroom of course there was more evidence of my night's work strewn around but I was too shaken to be questioned about it until the morning.

Next day all the evidence could be clearly seen and my fingers throbbed and ached. I told mum everything that had happened and why one thing had led to another. I was just a young boy that liked to poke about in everything and find out why or how it works. Mum thought I'd been punished enough for my actions but wanted to know how I'd ended up in bed wearing my white baby's rubbers, as it happens the electric shock had made me wet myself a bit but mum knew that wasn't the real reason.

I went very red when I told her that they felt nice and I liked wearing them in bed, she just smiled and said that she would see what she could do about it. I was not going to be at school for a few days because I couldn't use my fingers properly - the doctor had recommended a couple of days in bed for me to get over the shock as well.

I'd fallen asleep for a while and mum had been round to the doctor's surgery, she had a prescription to collect for me. While in the doctor's she had time to speak to nurse about my strange liking for baby's rubbers and asked her advice.

Nurse thought that it was perhaps because mum had kept me in them until I was 6 and that I felt they were like a comfort blanket so I felt the need to wear them. The surgery in those days was often a pharmacy as well and when mum collected the items on my prescription she found two brand new pairs of white baby's rubbers in my size included.

Mum found the nurse and said there must have been a mix-up when they talked earlier but nurse told her not to worry because my baby's rubbers were on prescription like the other items and I needed to wear them for bed. They were classed as surgical equipment and it was now down on my medical records that I should be prescribed baby's rubbers until further notice. Mum smiled at the nurse and thanked her very much for her helpful advice and for her help in putting the fact that I should be in baby's rubbers on my medical record for future use.

I think in those days it was a private G.P and you were sent a bill but not really sure.

After she came back and gave me various pills and administered cream and gels to my sore hands she pulled my bed covers off and asked me to carefully climb out of bed. I had a chair in my room for my clothes, mum told me to sit in it for a few minutes, I was now in my normal bed clothes and she put my dressing gown round my shoulders.

"I'm going to change the rest of your bed after last night's episode Albi, I will not be very long, then you can pop back for the day, I've bought you some comics including the Eagle - I know it's your favorite. When I'm done in here I'll make you a nice hot milky drink to settle you down again." With that she proceeded to pull my bed sheets back even though auntie June did all this last night, I just sat and watched.

Then she opened the bottom draw of my bedside cabinet where I knew my old red rubber mackintosh sheet was kept, mum took out the rubber sheet and shook it so that it opened up, it was made from quite thin rubber and I remembered how soft it felt. "I think you remember what this is for Albi, as you've had a bit of a shock nurse thought it would be better if you went back to sleeping on it for a while, I'm sure you'll soon get used to it. "

Mum spread my rubber mackintosh sheet out over my bottom sheet " I don't see the point of putting it underneath because you will be so lovely and warm with your baby's rubber sheet back on and you're going to be in bed for a few days. Right now love I'm going to help you to take your night clothes off. I know you can't undress yourself with those poor hands." Mum soon had me standing on the carpet with no clothes on.

"I told you why your rubber mackintosh sheet was back on the bed, now I've got something here for you from the surgery." Mum pulled out a packet and unfastened it to reveal a brand new pair of white children's baby rubbers. She went on:

"Now these are for you Albi and they are on prescription because nurse says that you must wear them from now on. I wish you'd told me that you wanted to go back into your baby's rubbers, I wouldn't have taken you out of them last year if I'd known you still weren't grown up enough to stop wearing them".

"You know how much I wanted you to stay in them. We had a big argument about weather you were old enough to take them off and you said you were. Now I find you wearing them in bed, not to mention your other antics so what would you really expect me to do with you love? You'd better come over her and sit back on your mackintosh sheet for a minute while I put you back in your children's baby rubbers, this time I think you'll be staying in them! - No more arguing that you're grown up enough to go to bed without them."

"I'm sure they will feel lovely and soft on you and remind you of being a baby. This time I know you want to wear your rubbers and you can't really deny it, can you Albi? "

I was now sitting on my old baby's rubber sheet.

" Now put your legs out straight in front of you like a good little boy so that I can pull your rubbers on." They were very soft and had a strong rubbery smell, reminding me of being in them for so long before. Mum had slid them up my calves and over my knees, they rustled and I knew very well what was next.

"Stand up like a good little boy for mummy, that's it I'm going to pull Albi's nice new little boys rubbers up tight round your waist then make sure the legs are pulled up nice and tight to stop accidents. That's so much better love, I feel so happy that you're back in them, you look so sweet when you're wearing your baby's rubber knickers. Give mummy a kiss love and then it's time to lay down on your mackintosh sheet, that's it put your legs down straight then I can pull your covers up for you. I know your rubber knickers feel a bit tight round the waist and legs but they're supposed to, I'll lift your pillows up a bit so that you can read your comics while mummy goes downstairs to make you a hot drink."

I couldn't really take in what had happened, mum seemed so happy despite my naughty antics last night and I was wearing a child's pair of white rubber baby knickers again and this time it was official...

Albi Odd

Dear Albi

Fascinating story, really intriguing.

Not sure whether to think your mother loved you being a baby still, or loved the rubber your being still a baby brought centre-stage...

Your experience is so different from the more usual one of parents, especially mums, thinking of themselves as inflicting rubber 'punishments' or just insisting on a child 'wrapping up warm' (wearing wellingtons, wearing rubber macs to school).

Different - and, it seems to me, less dishonest -?

Thank you so much for writing.

Lorraine

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