Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-11-05
ARE CHILDREN SELFISH
OR PARENTS GREEDY?

Dear Miss Flo: 1 am the oldest
daughter of a large family, and ever
since | was seventeen, have been
helping support my parents and the
rest of the family / went to bust
ness school at night, working as a
clerk during the day, turning over
my salary envelope to my mother.
am twenty-eight years old now. My
other brothers and sisters are work.
ing. feel that | have done my full
share, and that | should be permitted
to keep my own salary, paying fair
board, of course. If my brothers and
sisters will do the same thing, the
family should be able, to get along
nicely. However, when ! mention the
subject, they all object strenGously
DO you think / am selfish in insisting
that | have done my share and am
now entitled to bank account of my
own? | never complained about those
first hard years, when l worked night
and day, giving up all youthful pleas
ure. and getting in Teturn only scold-
ings and complaints.
Please tell me what to do. Marie.
OF course you aren't selfish to want
to keep your own money, Marie. 1t
is the only intelligent thing to do.
Certainly at your age you are entitled
to take care of the money for which
you are old enough to work. | think
you have been very generous indeed
with your family. Although it was
plainly your duty to help them while
they needed it, there is no reason now
why your brothers and sisters cannot
share some of your burden now You
have your own future to consider
now is the time for you to begin saw
ing against the proverbial rainy day
which may never come-or perhaps
even the happier day You may even
want to marry some day and if you
have a little bank account of your
OWh ~ WILL Duy yOu a JlOuooCdu, vi
perhaps make a payment on little
home. And if you dc not marry, there
will be times when work is slack, or
times Of sickness, and the time when
you will be too old to work, and, if
you have not saved something for old
age, you will have to eat the bitter
dread of dependence. Don't let your
brothers and sisters fool you into
thinking that you do not have to wor.
ry about old age-that they VIII take
care of you when you need it.
Nobody treats the person without
money as they treat the person with
money One of the chief things that
money will buy us is consideration
and the respect from others. This is
true even in the close relationship of
parents and children.
The cold-blooded remedy for your
situation us for you to hold on to yoar
own pay envelope and pay your par
ents a fair board instead of turning
over all your money to them. When
you give them all you earn, you be-
come little more than their slave.
The kinder, and most human way to
solve your problem is by showing all
of them great deal of affection and
sympathy. Keep in mind how hard
your parents life has been, raising a
large family of children, toiling and
sacrificing, always torn with anxieties
in their effort TO keep the children
fed and clothed OF course you have
duty to your parents and you owe
them a great deal more than you can
ever repay in money
Be good to her. Be patient Tell
her that you love her-that you appre
ciate her, and are grateful to her for
the things she has done. You will find
that most of your domestic troubles
will vanish
Try to explain the situation to your
mother and father, Your sisters ana
brothers need no explanation If
they are so selfish that they cannot
understand your position they deserve
no consideration. But you have a big
duty to your parents. They deserve
every consideration.