CityNews cartoonist PAUL DORIN bursts into sentimental prose as he remembers his earliest encounters with cushions and pillows… and, of course, pillow fights.

When l was growing up almost every time l sat on our family couch l would often be nursing a cushion. 

l have friends that when l go to visit them walking in, it’s funny noticing everyone sitting on the couch nursing cushions. These are homes that like decorative cushions. I grew up in a house of decorative cushions.

My mum had decorative cushions that covered our lounge and she also had a Mount Everest of pillows on her bed.

l will admit that the bedroom did look very fancy. Her bedroom had the look and feel of a five-star hotel. If her bed had just the two regular pillows it would’ve looked quite boring. Mum even had a pillow chest at the end of her bed to store extra pillows.

It was always fun during the day throwing myself on to my mum’s bed and relaxing on top of the pyramid of pillows. It was also a bed of ammunition because we had some of the greatest pillow fights. 

When it was time to put all the pillows back, mum knew straight away we had been into her room because we could never arrange the pyramid of pillows anywhere as neat as she had it. 

We also had competitions to see who could slide under from one side to the other without knocking over or disturbing any of the pillows. Whenever we were building a cubbyhouse it was very easy sourcing lots of pillows.

How many is too many? 

I didn’t realise there was a pillow etiquette and if you’ve got a double-sized bed, the limit is five pillows and a king-sized bed, the limit is eight pillows. 

These days l feel exhausted when I see a bed like this. How much time would you need to spend every day arranging the pillows in the morning and then putting them away each night? I like not having to walk over all these pillows on the ground, especially waking up during the night to empty the bladder.

There’s nothing elaborate with my pillow setup, it’s actually a very simple arrangement, just the two sleeping pillows, one slightly firm and the other is a soft cosy pillow. Not that l have actually researched this, but I’ve notice that two pillows seem to be what everyone is doing nowadays.

Aside from having my regular two sleeping pillows, if l am unwell or suffering from a cold, this plays a significant decision in determining how many extra pillows are appropriate for my comfort and well-being, propping me up to make me feel better.

Remember the long-running motor oil campaign with the catch phrase “oils ain’t oils”? Well, l’ve come to realise “pillows ain’t pillows”! There are all types of pillows to pick from such as bamboo, latex, buckwheat, memory foam, polyester, cotton, feathers… and the list goes on.

There are also different styles of pillows such as the cuddle pillow, they offer the benefits of hugging, providing comfort and warmth. There’s the lumbar pillow, designed to support your lower back and help maintain better posture; the knee pillow, excellent for propping up your legs, relieving pressure on joints; and the reading pillow, placing it behind your back to keep your head and neck well-supported while you relax. 

Growing up, l had my favourite pillow that l held on to for years. I was that child who brought their special pillow to every sleepover. You could say l was very attached to it. These days l seem to change at least one of my pillows once or twice a year.

If you sleep with three pillows or more, are they to protect you from the monsters under the bed or the evils in the world or do you like waking up every morning as though you have been sleeping on a fluffy cloud. 

How many pillows do you sleep with?