Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-02-08
Managing
Willie

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little boy who was calling on her next
door neighbor, land must say that
she has changed of late years! Why,
when l knew her as girl she had
such ability and was such manager
and you ought to see the way that
house is run and the perfectly dread
full way she has with her children!
II don't believe in the old fashioned
way of frightening children to pieces
and making them obey you because
they are afraid. never have the
least trouble with my Willie, because
I treat him like a human being. Darl-
ing, don't handle the fern, for Mrs.
James may not like it. Everybody
isn't like mother, who understands
how interested little boys are in ma
ture. Stop bending the leaf, dearest
oh, now, see! You've broken the whole
stalk off! There, Willie, you see
what happens when you don't obey
mother!
tits perfectly wonderful, Mrs. jams,
the reasoning power displayed by that
child! You wouldn't think it, but he
understands cause and effect perfect
ly. He bent the leaf-and it broke
an act and result, you see. Willie,
why did you break all those other
leaves, too? Oh, so the plant would
be even all around! Now, did you
ever hear anything cleverer than that,
Mrs. James? Willie has such an eye
for form. am sure he is going to be
something wonderful, aren't you?
always believe in encouraging child
when he shows any signs of develop
ing particular faculty.
There! Willie is investigating your
cuckoo clock now. He has a passion
for finding out the reason for things.
Willie, darling, you mustn't swing on
the weights of the clock, you really
mustn't.
There! What did mother tell you?
You swung on the weights and now
you've pulled the whole clock down
off the wall! You are likely to give
people headaches when you make a
big noise like that. Every one hasn't
the perfect control of her nerves that
mother has.
There's everything in control, don't
you think so, Mrs. James? l never al
low any external fact to upset me.
oh, is the clock broken? Well, l
don't believe it is very bad break
and a clever clock man can easily
oh, you say you brought it from Swift
zerland and it has complicated for
eign mechanism? Well, it does seem
to me that Americans ought to be
able to find enough goods manufacture
ed in this country without encourag-
ing anarchists and paupers abroad.
I've often heard my husband talk
about political affairs, so l suppose l
am better informed than most women.
"The way Mrs. Kershaw lets her
children run over her is perfectly
dreadful. She didn't seem to have the
least control of them at all. l.
Willie, you must't scratch the pi-
ano with that pin. Mother means what
she says, darling, and expect you to
obey. Not another scratch after that
one you are making! I've no doubt
If your furniture polish is the fight
kind, Mrs. James, it will rub the
scratches out perfectly and, anyhow,
they are such delicate ones. Willie
has such dainty touch with every
thing that sometimes l think he is go
ing to be an artist.
why, Wil-ll-e-e-e! Didn't you
hear me say not another scratch? And
you've made at least six more! Now,
I simply will not be disobeyed that
way and you may go sit in the green
velvet chair. Climb back and sit
there! You see, Mrs. James, l always
punish promptly when Willie doesn't
mind me.
IF you had children yourself you'd
understand how it warns mothers
heart to feel the little things depend
Ing on ore and taking ones word as
gospel law. Why, Willie would no
sooner think of going contrary to my
wishes than he would think of flying,
would you, dear?
MY goodness, where is Willie? He
isn't in the green velvet chair. You
haven't cellar door or anything open,
have you, Mrs. James, that he might
fall down? l can't Understandable,
you say he is on the other side of the
piano scratching It with another pin {?
Willie, come here-at once! Don't
you know you grieve mother terribly
when she finds that she can't trust
you? Oh, you say you wanted to see
If black pin would make the same
kind Of scratch as white one! Did
you ever-that investigating mind
again! 1t makes me feel terribly re-
sponsible, Mrs. James, to think that
1t rests with me whether that shall all
be mistakenly crushed out or en-
couraged.
I've so. enjoyed this little visit with
you--it rests one to get a change from
ones usual thoughts, you know. Come
over soon-it will brighten you up and
interest you to be where there is a