The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-08-15

taught him that you will be sure to
say, don't" and that you won't have
the back yard cluttcred up with trash
whereas il he goes on and builds il
withou, taking YOU into hls confidence
in the matter you will probably never
notice it, or else think II rather clever
OF him to have done such bit OF car
pcntfy work
1t would have added immeaSurahly
to JohnnIc'S pleasure IN the matter II
he could have coniided his, plans to
you and YOU had been interested enough
in II TO talk 1t over with him and make
suggestions and perhap, help LITTLE.
The superstition that 1t is the proper
thing for parents always to object on
principle to anything children want to
do is responsible for half OF the lack of
confidence between boys and girls, and
their fathers and mothers
You may be very sure that the man
who enters whole hcariedly into his
boys plans, who lets them feel that he
is thrillingly interested in their games
and their lessons and their school
chums, and their fights. and who never
objects TO anything they want TO do
that isn't actually wrong or unwise,
never has TO complain that he isn't IN
his boys confidence Why dads their
their best friend, and their first impulse
is TO tell him everything
And why should Mamie tell her
mother ANYTHING when she knows be
forchand that mother is going to be
shocked and say that girls never did
that way III her day' Or worse still,
mother laughs and blabs
Mamie told mother about little boy
tina, she met at the dancing class, and
he said he thought she had the pref
test curlS he ever saw, and he wrote
his name on her fan, and he walked
part OF the way home with her, and he
was perfectly lovely little boy aud his
name was Percy
1t was NAMES first romance, IN,
first fut,cr oi the embryo wings OF her
womanhood, and when Mamie told 1t t.
mother she opened the very doors OF
her shy little soul and let mother lou'.
in at mysteries that Mamie herself wa,
too young to- know were there And the
mex, nigh, at dinner, before who'll
table full ot people, mother told the
story OF NAMES first beau and the
grownups guiiawed with laughter and
Mamie cried and was sent away from
the table in disgrace And mothcl
didn't have enough intelligence TO know
that with her own brutal hand she ha
: closed forever the door ot her lttl,
daughters condolences
Mamie will never tell mother agar
anything tha, matters Perhaps thcr
will he times when II might hc her yer,
salvation II she could talk freely I,
her mother and ask her mo,hcfS gmd
ance in some vital affair ot her life
but she can't do IT, There is a wall O
reserve between them and there Is NJ
woman in the whole world tn whom
she could not talk more freely than sh
can to her own mother.
Mothers weep because their daughter
won't confide in them They have
right to weep over their own stupil,t
because its their own fault Ever
girl would like to chum with her moth
er il she could You can sec tins u
the envy they express over girl who's
mother is her be,, friend, and to whor
not only she, but all the other girls, t,'
things
Bu, how can YOU tell things TO
mother who is not sympathetic wh
doesn't see why you want TO 'it out q
the moonigh, in the dew with lohnn
lone, and risk catching cold, when yo
nigh, sit with the family in a perfect
" we'll lighted, waterproof lyln
room' How could you tell mothe
that Tommy Tucker kissed YOU II sh
was the sor, of mother that woul,
read YOU curtain lecture about 1t
Or how could YOU confide m a mother
who was sure 10 laugh, that YOU arr
thinking about Joining the movies Io,
would have to have years OF TRUSTED
and tried understanding and sympathy
behind You before YOU would tell any
of these things
That's why YOU can't gain girls oi
a boys confidence after they are nj.
teen year, old It's too late.