Nanny’s boy

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Author’s text

Goya’s comment on the print: “Negligence, excessive tolerance and indulgence bring up spoiled children who are stubborn, arrogant, greedy, lazy and dreadful. Just as the nanny’s boy, they never grow up”.

There is not much to add to the former comment in order to transform it into an up-to-date lesson. Both overprotective parents and the principle of least effort are major contemporary mistakes which may lead to a “nanny’s boy” outcome.

Long before Goya’s times, education strictly belonged to the upper classes. Different plays from the 17th and 18th century would represent these quotidian scenes in which the following sentence became quite popular:

“The nanny’s boy was seven and breastfed”

Regarding the previous fact, we may have the impression that a spoiled offspring was just something which affected wealthy people. However, questionable education is not exclusively affected by either the period or the social class but it is indeed common sense to instil certain responsibilities which encourage children to become mature and rational adults.

Whenever the former premises are ignored, we get the scene herein represented: a grown-up man dressed like a baby who does not want to get rid of his toys and sweets, despite his servant’s efforts.

Goya's comment

Negligence, excessive tolerance and indulgence bring up spoiled children who are stubborn, arrogant, greedy, lazy and dreadful. Just as the nanny’s boy, they never grow up.

Comparison with the original print