Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-01-12
By Mrs. NestOr Noel

The whole day is crowded with
work. We try to do 20 hours work in
16 hours, and we arrange u days
so that there is not any time for in
terruptions. We race the children off
to school, and then we give ourselves
to the days work. When they come
back we tell them ito get out of the
way and not bother us; we have
enough to do" Then, when they are
safe in bed, we bring out the huge
mending basket and tackle that! AT
last worn out we retire, only to begin
the same hard life all over again!
There is no relaxation, no pleasure in
such a life.
Children are afraid to come to us
with their broken dolls and their cut
fingers, because they will interrupt
our work! What kind of a home is
this, where Work reigns supreme as a
kind of Tyrant and there is no room
for Love?
A mother who really loves her child
rem and loves to be with them could
not tolerate such a life. If she has IL
hours in a day she will plan IL or ever
10 hours work, and leave a margin
over for her children. Her windows
may not be quite so shiny, and per-
haps no one will want to eat off her
kitchen floor; but she will not be a
nervous, WORKOUT wreck at 40 and her
children will be happier.
One should leave a margin for a
rest, another margin for recreation
and a third for the children. This
last is the most important of all. What
kind of a life do children have when
their mothers have not eve time for a
kiss?
1 like to imagine a family where
the mother is everything to her child
rem and they are not afraid of inter-
rupting her. When the children come
back from school they are longing to
'tell mother" all the little happenings
of their day. They want to tell her
the joys and the sorrows, the pleas
ures and the pain. Perhaps n child
fell down and got a bruise. 1t may
not hurt very much. Still, if mother
knew, it would feel better at once! The
teacher may have been cross, then
mother would. explain that perhaps
she had a headache, and the child
would return to school the next day
without %dreading it. 1t might be a
prize was won. Now, what use is a
prize if mother does not take pride in it?
1 once knew a woman whose chill
dren seemed to me to be interrupting
her from morning to night! She was
never even ruf1ed! At her busiest
moments they would rush in and need
all her attention.
"How do you ever get your work
done?" I asked.
81 v even notice their interrupt
IONS" she said. HYou see, I always
leave a margin in my time. This mar
gin belongs to my children. If all L
plan is not done; does it matter so
much after all? There is tomorrow.
Even if there were no tomorrow, what
then? We owe ourselves to our chill
dren."
1t was quite true, 1 thought, and she
made a most excellent mother.
If we made friends of our CHILDREN
their society would never bore us.
those WOu1Gu are luChy VIM AoN Inv
to spare for their children. We can
and must make the time, eve if we
have to neglect a little work. Do let
us resolve that, from this moment, we
shall so arrange our work that the
children may have, not merely "a little
margin" but a good, big margin of
our time!
In the kindergarten children learn
with eagerness to observe understand
ingly, to work because they love work,
to use their hands deity, and to be
c~onsiderate of others. Thus, at a most
important h~abit-forming age, through
natural, happy activities, they are
given a right start on their sometimes
difficult journey.
If there is no Kindergarten in your
public school the National Kinder
garten Association, s West 10th street,
New York City, will tell you how to
get one.