Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-02-05
Selfishness of Parents

dens on their children. either financially
or spiritually.
Wherever II Is possible enough money
should be laid aside in q sacred fund,
never TO be touched for any other pur-
pose, TO secure man OF woman q home
OF his or her own. instead OF forcing him
or her 20 be an unweleome guest benesth
an ''in-law's" roof
1t is astonishing how many people
neglect to do this. They go on blithely
spending every ceut they make. Under the
calm assumption that they have suf-
ficiently provided Tor their old age by
having children on whom they can de-
pend when they are no longer able to
work. This II most unfair or course
every decent man and woman will take
care OF their aged parents but 1t is often
done at n rninous price TO the son on
daughter. Most men. in these days. have
all OF the burden that they can stsgger
along under In providing for their own
wives and children, and when to this IL
added the support of their parents It be-
comes the last feather that breaks the
camers back.
Every human being knows that age "
bound 20 come. and not 10 provide for
the days when ones earning power Il
gone is nothing short OF dishonesty. for
I n we cannot take care OF ourselves we
rob other people when We force them 20
I feed and clothe and house us.
! As | have said. men are not often de
! pendent on their children. Women are
Not many women have much opportunity
TO save up enough money to make them
Independent, but every woman can learn
/ some sort of a trade or profession that
she can follow. should her husband die.
| 50 that she will not have to become a
parasite upon her children.
Especially would ] urge the woman
who has established herself in business.
or who has some job. not TO give It up.
however besought, 10 go and live with
her children. Independence means hap
piness and dependence means misery,
and there's a vast difference In the at
titude OF even tho most dutiful children
between mother with her own pockets
book and mother with her hand held out
for aims.
Also there Is always the son-in-law or
the daughter-in-law to be reckoned with,
and the son-ln-iaw or the dauEhter-in-
law who does not secretly or openly re-
sent having 10 support mother~ln-law and
have her always on the premises Is as
rare as hens teeth.
Every woman should provide against
being dependent on her children financi-
ally. and she should likewise provide
against being dependent on them mentally
and spiritually. There are foolish women
who. just as they spend all OF their
money on their children when they are
young spend all OF their interest en-
them They have no life apart from their
Johnnie or Mamie, and so when their
Johnnies or NAMES marry they have TO
I tag along.
! Mamie's husband doesn't want mother.
/ but mother would die II she were separ-
! ated from Mamie. Johns wife would
rather have the plague in his house
than Johns plother. but mother couldn't
0 exist two blocks away from her darling
boy. and the result IL that the happiness
4 mother-in-lsw imposed upon H.
{ Yet any woman with ordinary com
mon sense should have wisdom enough
TO foresee that the time viii come when
, her children win marry and set up
/, homes OF their own. and that she should
I provide herself with enough outside in
terests 10 keep her going when they
leave her.
The truth ia there are too many depend
r ent parents who should be independent
and they need 10 set away from the idea
that parenthood Is a graft that can be
I worked 10 any extent. 1t isn't. II IL an
I awful obligation that no father or mother
can ever sufficiently fulfil.