Milford chronicle., 1923-03-30
HOME EDUCATION
"The Child's First School is the
Family"-FrOebel
Issued by the National kindergarten
Association, 8 West 10th Street, New
York City. These articles are appear
ing weekly in our columns.
AN OLD FASHIONED QUALITY
RESPECT
By Carrie A. Ritter

Mother had hen-party yesterday" "
gleefully exclaims a young girl OF
sweet sixteen. Mother had seven old
hens here and you ought to have heard
them cackle and seen them eat ice
cream"
Many people might call this a cute
up-to-date speech, but the mother OF
this same girl complains, MARY is not
respectful to me. She thinks I'm old,
too, and I'll not be fifty-six until Sep
tember. 1 don't see why she talks so
about my age"
Casually observing these cases we
wonder how much of this is training
or rather lack of it. We notice the
same attitude in the parents not IN
frequently in speaking of, or to, elder
ly relatives. Children are often allow
ed to be saucy to their grandparents
or to their elders.
So it comes to us that the atmos-
phere in which a child is reared is re
sponsible for his respect or disrespect
for those older or in authority. Some
times it is not the words so much as
the tone in which the parent speaks
of an elderly person that conveys dis
respect.
There has always seemed to me to
be a natural bond between children
and very elderly persons. The little
ones love stories which the older ones
can tell delightfully."-. I know OF case
in which a grandmother and her only
granddaughter are chums. They camp
ed together for a month when the rest
of the family did not care to go:
Grandma had the time of her life"
explained the girl, "only we did eat
such a lot, both of us, it kept her
busy. The young folks used to come
over too. Grandma let us have all
kinds of fun, and invited them TO
meals. She seemed to enjoy it as much
as I did"
It was the same girl who said of her
grandmother, Grandma does not hear
very well over the phone, in fact she
does not hear it ring unless she is IN
the room with it, but don't hesitate to
call UP, there are some persons sne
can understand so she Will answer Il
possible" 49,
Does not this sound better than,
"She's deaf as a post, what's the gooo
of her trying to understand anything?
No use your telephoning unless mo-
ther is home, or am"
We wonder, yes, we wonder very
much if the attitude of sons and
daughters-in-law to aging widowed
mothers has anything to do with the
way young people speak of Grand
ma"
cold folks aren't wanted" You hear
if often. Perhaps they are not, but
some times it may be their own fauIt
because years before they allowed
themselves to speak carelessly OF
other elderly persons, forgettul OF the
law of suggestion. Let us be thanKIui
for the mothers who taught us that
flial respect and consideration were
their due, that members of the genera
ton older than themselves were to De
treated with Difference, loving care
and gentle thoughtfulness for their
comfort. and that selfishness and dis
respect to our seniors are neltner
more uplifting nor ennobling to our
own characters than they are Pheasant
to the elderly people.
eff our 1O,000000 foreign-born peo-
nile are ever to be won to our national
nOint of view the most hopeful agency
is the kindergarten. 1t can not 40
everything, but it can start the new
Generation Alright, and it can do much
for all ages" Earl Barnes recently
said. ,r
IF there is no kindergarten in your
nnblic school. write to the National
kindergarten Association, West 4Otn
Street, New York.