Milford chronicle., 1929-05-24
COOPERATING WITH MOTHER


do anything"
COOPERATING WITH MOTHER
Helen Gregg Green
Looking through a magazine the
other day, l became interested in
letter written by one of it's readers.
1t was from a woman past fifty, the
mother of several children. She was
discouraged and worn out, mentally
and physically, with her years of
responsibility and work.
1--WE are all to blame for many of
our troubles" the letter read. 1--WE
ask nothing in return for our labors
but the pleasure of our dear ones;
it ish great mistake.
1--WE teach them from babyhood
to take our services as matter of
course, and by the time we realize
what we have done, we are too tired
and worn out to care; and it does
not pay"
This is only part of the SQUIRE
vealing letter, but in it there is
food for thought and study, and
warning to young mothers-a warn
ing to begin with the just-around-
the-corner-from- babyhood days to
give the children small duties and
small responsibilities, so that the
burden which usually falls to the
mothers lot may be lessened. When
boys and girls discover how much
actual labor there is connected with
n hnr1Cn hn hnlrN
they may be to Mother.
So many mothers will continue
taking the entire responsibility for
running house smoothly and eff
GENTLY year in and year out. The
only sign of protest they ever make
is weary little "I'm bit tired" at
night, without ever heart-to-heart
talk with the family asking for CO.
operation.
The piping-hot breakfasts, the
dainty, wholesome lunches and de-
licious dinners, the cozy, CHEEKY,
neat home, are taken as matter
of course. Children who have had
no experience in doing household
tasks do not realize the effort, time
anu hal WI n Oc1Sh VI IL ebAAs ~ SAAA
looks so easy, so simple!
And who is to make them realize
and appreciate, if not the parents?
1t is not fair to the dear ones" to
allow them to take all this for
granted.
eff we allow ourselves to be left
behind, if we work so hard we are
too tired to take part in the daily
lives of our children and husbands"
the letter continued, they simply
learn to do without us"
Isn't there a lot of truth tucked
away in those words? Shouldn't
they make all mothers who have tiny
children think?
1 remember a certain Thanksgiv-
ing that shames and grieves me. We
did not have a maid, so Mother
cooked and served a delicious
Thanksgiving dinner for two guests,
and our own family. After dinner
the guests, my father and 1 hurried
down town for an afternoons mer-
ry-making, leaving Mother who was
not strong to clear off the table and
do the stacks of dishes. Mother
was the one who deserved and
should have had the happy after
noon. And, now that I have come
to a realization of the many sacri-
fees she made and have learned
bow much help could have been
and would like nothing better than
to tighten her burdens, it is too late.
That is what the writer of the
letter suggested: /
"And by the time they marry and
have children of their own, and
learn. from experience what life
means, and what children mean in
a mothers life perhaps it is too
late; you may have passed on, and
if not, it is still rather difficult to
teach old dogs new tricks'!"
So the wives and mothers must
remedy this. They should commence
with the husbands at marriage, and
with the children in their very
early years. 1t is really very easy
to teach the children to hang up
their wraps, to run errands, to keep
their rooms tidy, and to do the I
hundred and one other little things
which inculcate in them the habit
Of service and the sense of respon-
sibility.
A mother, like a child, needs un-
love and play. She
should share these and also her
household cares with her family.
This would make happier, sweeter-
younger and more charm
ng mothers the country over, and
better and happier boys and girls.