The Raising Of Children

The raising of the children in Wuthering Heights seemed to be mostly done by the nannies. In fact, the story is mainly told from the perspective of Nelly Dean, the housekeeper of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Upper-class parents delegated the entire care of their children to a nurse or a "nanny".

The nanny and the children occupied a separate wing or floor of the house. Ideally, the wing or floor had a day nursery, one or more night nurseries for children of different ages, bedrooms for older children and their governess, and a schoolroom or older children's sitting room. The fully staffed nursery had additional nurserymaids, a schoolroom maid, a laundress, and sometimes a cook. The reason children were separated from adults was that they were to be sheltered from adult life and given a structured routine and also to hvae their characters trained. The adults were freed for their own pleasures and responsibilities, and for the London season and foreign travel which were expected parts of aristocratic life.

The full-fledged nanny was a professional and she had full charge of the children and their upbringing. Mothers recognized their own deficiencies and deferred to the nanny's training and experience. Children spent mostly all of their time with the nanny. Her bed was in the night nursery where they slept. The parents paid little attention to the everyday happenings as in seen in Wuthering Heights. Catherine and Francis depended on Nelly's care of the children all throughout Wuthering Heights. When the kids were about eight, their lessons began to occupy most of their time. Boys went to boarding school and girls became primarily responsible to the governess.

Despite a nanny's absolute authority, children were still called "miss" or "master" when