We were told to do that as soon as we moved out of a baby crib and into a “big” bed. It was pretty simple: Pull up the sheet. Pull up the blanket. Pull up the chenille bedspread. Fluff up your pillow. Tuck the spread under and over the pillow. Done.



My Childhood Bed

Likewise, we were also admonished to make up our cot at church camp or boot camp. Leaving an unmade bed was considered slovenly or earned us demerits.

That was then. Now, bed-making is not simple and neither is unmaking. We no longer sleep on or under any of the stuff we “decorate “ the bed with. You would never sleep under or sit on your expensive bedspread. And the pillows we actually sleep on are put aside and replaced by many decorative throw pillows. Maybe as children, we had a small down comforter to sleep under if we were lucky. Now such a thing is called a duvet which is painstakingly inserted into a duvet cover made of some fancy material. This and the sleeping pillows are hidden away all day.

You have made your bed and now you must lie in it — but not so fast!