El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-10-27
Girls Worst Age, Silly II
Because Daughter Does Not Like
StepmOther, May Not be Step
mothers Fault, Because
IL Has Much to Learn.
By Winifred Black

W OUR wife is good, true, kind.
gentle and considerate. And your
daughter hates her just because
she is her stepmother?
She is impudent, cross, stubborn,
sullen and disagreeable in every way
and you don't know what to do?
Well. now, in the first place, how old
is daughter?
Seventeen thought so-the mean
est, most conceited, most self-centered
age on earth. Talk about sweet
sixteen-sour sixteen would be better
or silly sixteen, i'm afraid. Up to
that age a girl is a little girl-easily
managed, tractable, affectiOnate, a thing
to be loved and petted and cared for.
But after that till she's 20 or so She
in the world. I'd say the most foolish
if she didn't have a brother. When
he gets to be about 20 he'll show sis
ter the road to FOolYille, and not even
try very hard.
It isn't the girl who's cross. it's her
age and what she thinks she ought
to be-. She's heard about step
mothers since she was born, and not
one good word has she ever heard
about them. She feels as you'd feel if
somebody brought a nice, amiabIe,
Well-meaning rattlesnake home to
board and then was lighted to meet
and greet him.
SiIIy-of course it is silIy-so many
oned with all the same-silly or
not
Naturally Not
The average stepmother is not as
fond OF daughter as the average moth
er-hOw can she be? But 1 don't be-
lieve she's any such ogre as popular
fiction makes her out to be.
Your home, your house your heart
has been your little girls business for
some years She's been about every
thing there was on earth to you. And
now all at once here's this newcomer
taking her place at the table telling
her what to wear Her-the Great
Wonder of the Age-WhO knows every
thing better than anyone else could
even dream of knowing it-unless she
was sweet sixteen and her fathers
only daughter, too.
Resents BOssinS.
"BOssing' her about her clothes.
Advising her about the way to do
her hair. MISUNDERSTANDING" her
friendships, not realizing her ambi-
lions, smiling when she ought to sigh,
Why. it really is very hard for Sweet
Sixteen when you come to think of it,
tint it?
And then-the mother who's gone
don't you love the little girl just
little for being Jealous of things on
her account too?
See things from your point of view?
Now she wouldn't be sixteen if she
COulu 90 lnaI, would SheE
Shed be-um, well, say 40 odd and
whole lot of things will look diff
ferent to her when she's 40.
Shell realize then that memory IS
poor company and that tears are an
unwholesOme drink for any human be-
ing She'll see the roses bloom on
the grave of the one she loved best
IN the world and stop a minute for
the gentle tribute Of sigh-and moth
ing more.
But after all you know that is the
very time of her life when she would
have been the very center of the home
If mother had lived
Daughters gowns. daughters friends
daughters hopes, daughters ambitions,
those would have been the whole
thing and now she's just a side is
sue, just a second fiddle-and she
wouldn't be human if she didn't resent
it Just a little
What shall you do? Be patient. be
wise, be sympathetic to both these
women. They both belong to you. and
some day it viii all straighten itself
out. You can not eat your cake, dear
man, and have it, too, you know.