Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-07
( FRIENDSHIPS OF cHIl,nRES.

m the Deceu beri issue ot the Moth
ers Muga2ine. Carroll Watson t,anlin
ably naintains tho thesis that each
member OF any family Invariably pos
sssscs IT'S own distinct social circle.
lie thinks that thf;rcasnn forthis is
that year is 1, much longer item to
the Young than to the sroVinT up person
and that q year Lasts lnnger in youth
than IL does later. lie presents this
Illustration:
! although two women Of thirty and
forth, .respectlTcly. can be the closest
or friends, a girl Of ten can sf!ts no way
OF bridging the horrible gulfsof years
between herself arid hci. iiyc-year- old
sister. As for expecting her friends to
tolerate q tagsing siivc-Nearzold- why,
its ,InthinkahlGtN
And SO the wise mother must reeog-
nize that children will Inevitably choose
friends near their OWL ago. Nor only
should she tolerate and acauiesce in.
this choice, but should encourage 1t.
Working tactfullS,n'a he says,the moth
er can make certain that each littlez
rev friend who joins tho circle is in
every way desirable
Children choose their associates from
instinct and convenience. They Will
take the best at hand, Yet for shy and
shrinking children, mothers must take
a hand and help to form The social
groups for them.
This writer contends that the best
aid in securing the tapplest friend
ships FOR children is TO welcome The
| social groups to yonr own home and he
notes this difference between good
| homes
Ihere are front doors that fairly
| reach out tni visitors There are other
/ front doors that serve as barriers
AGAINST iatruders The front porch of
the home of certain member OF. a
| certain glrl-clrcle. is garnisned with
doormat whereon one reads, In large
magenta letters. the word .Welcome.'s
Yet, for some unexplained reason, the
youngsters OF this particular circle find
it impossible TO cross that encouraging
mat TO ring the bell beyond It. You
see, the welcome on that meudacious
doorlnai is the only welcome that that
house affords. The poor mother has
shawn, By her choice of mats. tina she
means we'll by the outside world; but
il simply isn't in her to print Wei
come on the frig.d atmosphere of her
house. There are other houses that do
mot need printed letters to advertise
the fact of their hospitabie intentions
the air seems charged with welcome
and It puffs out in almost tangibie
waves.
He thinks that these hospitable
homes have Il strong tendency towards
keeping boys and girls both sweet and
sound, while they provide another good
purpose by Keeping them at home Such
hospitality also relieves the mother of
rhcr anxious gearning in relation to
What her boys and girls, If absent,
might he doing.
We believe that such 4 spirit and
such an attention on the paft of moths
ers as would attract the friends of
their smaller children to be about their
homes would be a wise Investment of
the trouble and money which II might
| require. The child must have friends
and companions of his own age about
him, and il is better for parents TO
know who his companions arc and what
they do than to take the risk OF per-
hitting children to find playnaates in Z
! the course OF their awn adventures. For