The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-31

It Is curious thing, in way, beautiful thing. and it's 2 selfish thing, that children rarely ever think of their parents as human beings.
 Children think of their fathers and mothers as the source whence all as an evenglng justice. But 1t sell dom occurs to them that their parents are men and women, In addition to being parents; that they have the same references and long for the same pleasures as other people. and that they have a few rights that even their children should respect.
 Of course, small child unquestion- ably take for granted all its parents give and do for 1t. It is merely the order of nature that mother should appear at it's bed with a cup of water for which 1t cries out in the night: that mother should clean up the dirt it brings into the house and spend hours over the stove cooking the things it likes to eat; and that its father should work while it plays and go shabby to give it fine clothes.
 As they grow up, children continue to demand more and more of their parents. They bleed father and mother white for the things they want. They are not intentionally cruel, but they will take the last dollar they can wiring out of the family purse with out ever once thinking that. father and mother might like to spend some of the money they earn on themselves and in gratifying their own desires.
 And. curiously enough, even after they have grown to mans and wom- ans estate, the great majority of about their parents. In regulating their lives, they do not take their parents rights into consideration. They do not say My father and mother have sacrificed enough for me; they have done enough for me. Now. shall stand on my own feet, and be as little a burden as possible to them.'
 Of course, the most fragrant illus tration of this is found in the loafer sons and daughters who let their old parents work and support them. We all know husky, able-bodied young men who play golf while father slaves in an office, and strapping big girls who perform on the piano while mother is performing on the gas range.
 Apparently, 1t never crosses the mindAof these despicable young people that After they are old enough to sup port themselves they have no right to sponge upon their parents, and graft their living off them. Still less do they ever think that mother and father would like to take things easier as they grow older, and in dulge Tn a few of the luxuries they have had to deny themselves while they were raising and educating their children.
 Another illustration of how little children regard the rights of their parents you may see in their non- chalance with which young mothers turn over their children to their own mothers. efEf
 When Sally wants to go to bridge luncheon or Maud wants to take trip they dump the children down on mother. When Clarabell wants to go to Europe for the summer, she doesn't worry at all as to what to do With the children. She leaves them. With thousand instructions as to diet and clothes. and manners and morals, with mother. So that in in numerable families mother becomes nothing but sort of universal nurse maid
 It would shock these daughters to pc told what mean. selfish thing they do in not standing by and doing there own baby tending as mother did hers. They. themselves, know what 1t is to walk the colic-what broken nights mean. how incessantJ must be the care given little chill dren-how nerve-racking children's noise is. Yet they foist this burden on mother without a pang of com junction because they are SO used to seeing her doing everything for them.
 It never occurs to them that she would like to fold her hands in lit- tie peace and rest; furthermore, that she has earned 1t by bringing up one family and her daughters haven't