Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-12-07

, never made mistakes or had silly
yearnings for foolish things to sympa-
thize with your own faults and weak.
nesses.
1t is because parents put themselves
upon self-erected pedestals instead OF
staying down on the ground where
their children are that there is so lit
tie companionship between them.
1t is a pathetic and a curious fact
that human egotism finds its ultimate
expression in parenthood. The first
thing that fathers and mothers do
when a child Is born Is to explore the
poor little red countenance for trace
of their own lineaments, and they are
overjoyed when they find out that
they have wished on the unfortunate
little creature their own nose or mouth
or eyes or chin, regardless Of how
ugly these features may be.
Then they are determined to domi.
nate their child's life, to mold its
opinions, decide its destiny, no mat.
ter even II their own lives have been
failures that showed that they lacked
intelligence and judgment. Other
people may think me dull and stupid
and q poor manager, says the father
or mother inwardly, but / am deter.
mined that my child shall admire me
and reverence me as an oracle.
Therefore father assumes the atti.
tude Of one who has always been a
model OF all the virtues, and who has
never for an instant strayed from the
straight and narrow path. He might
boast to other young men that In his
time he has been one Of the boys, but
he never comes down from his high
plane with his own boy and tells MIN
that he, too, has made a fool of hfn-
self many time over pretty face
and drunk too much and lost money
that he Couldn't afford In pokel
game. .-.s. ~@ E.. ...v.. r.
And the price he pays for his self
righteous hypocrisy 10 his boys coufi-
dence, because the boy, aware OF his
own frailties, feels that he has got
nothing in common with this super
man who is his father. and dares not
tell of his own skidding from the high
road. ..s...~ g.
And the girl meets the same diff.
Guilty with mother. Mother also feels
II necessary to wrap herself In angel
robes and pretend that she never
flirted or made eyes at aman, or let
anybody kiss her or hold her hand, or
did ANYTHING but sit up prim and
proper In the bright light, close by her
chaperon's side. I'll
Mamma Is 30 good she wouldn't un
derstand, says the girl to herself, and
so she carefully hides from mother all
OF her foolish little love affairs and
finds II more impossible to tell mother
the things she really thinks and feels
than she would to confide them to any
other woman on earth.
Another bar between parents and
children is the incredible conceit that
makes parents think their way the
only way and that they have q right to /!
make their children follow their
scheme OF life, no matter what the |
child's own inclinations and talents
are. -
Whenever you hear man speak Of
his son as an ungrateful young dog
who has no appreciation Of the sacri |
fees parent makes, in nine cases |
out Of ten you win find that the boy !
has merely refused to be clay in the
hands Of the paternal father and has |
asserted his own right to live his own
life. John has broken my heart" q
father win declare II had built up |
this big grocery business for him and |
he simply turned his back on it and |
studied medicine. Said he'd rather
starye as doctor doing what he liked
than make q million selling salt cod
fish. ;.
Mary IL such q disappointment to
me-" mother VIII weep. Il was
belle when was q girl. and / had al. |