The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-09-09
Interfering
With Puppy
LOUe Wrong
BY MARTHA LEE

Most boys, at some time in the
course of their lives, get cease" on
an older woman. It may be the
little 10-year-old boys teacher. If
he gets it that young it is fortunate.
High school boys sometimes get
the idea that girls of their own age
are silly and boring. That their
teachers are really the only wom-
en- in the world who understand
them.
When boys grow older, when they
become 81 and Economically in
clined, often there is nothing quite
so satisfying as the friendship of a
woman monrelative), between IS
and 40.
She may be an acquaintance of
the boys mother, or the wife of
some business man with whom he
becomes associated. Whoever she
is, if she is sufficiently older to I'M
derstand the mental quirk the
youngster is going through her in
f1uence can be infinitely good, con-
trary opinion not withstanding.
Interfering Is Error
Parents of children who are
struck with this passion for the
older, more sophisticated compan-
ionship of older women make a
serious error in interfering.
Taken as a casual sort of occur
renee, treated with no more atten-
ton than other events in a young
sters life, the friendship either will
blossom into real and lasting one
or die of its own accord.
Parents are apt to attach a sim
lister Importance to such friend
ship. Because children take no
special interest in their auntS and
female cousins of senior years out
side of an occasional reference to
the weather, mothers and fathers
can not understand a boy finding
interest in the conversation of a
woman older than himself.
It's unnatural, in their opinion
that he should be interested in any,
thing an older woman would have
to say: that he should prefer her
company to that of a f1apper his
own age.
Attraction Is Harmless
Which, really, is just going out
of the way to hunt up trouble. The
attraction of an older woman for
a younger man is perfectly harm
less. It's just part of growing up,
for some boys.
Dear Miss Lee-I have a son 10 who is
exceptionally bright for his ages He al
ways has been advanced of his Years in
school and his interests have been in diff
ferent lines than most boys his age.
He has read more than most boys, and
his conversations are more apt to be
about what he has read than what he has
done He has quite q group of young
friends. but recently he met an older
woman and he has been spending great
deal of time in her company. She is al
most as old as I, and quite sophisticated
and cosmopolitan.
Because he never has been attentive to
girls I have worried about his infatuation
for this woman. have asked him sew
eral times not to see her so often, but he
paws no attention to me. Is there any
thing can do about it? WORRIED.
Capable of Listening
Just let the friendship go its own
course. You have not said any
thing against the woman's charac-
ter, which indicates decisivefy you
know nothing against her character
Your son has found feminine
companion who is capable of listen
ing and understanding his way OF
thinking and talking, perhaps for
the first time. She can be good
influence upon him, rather than the
sort of influence you fear.
He will be enlivened mentally in
her presence, and if she is sophis-
ticated and cosmopolitan, as you
have said, she probably can steer
him right on a lot Of things. She is
SO much more apt to help him than
harm him that it would be far best
to let the matter rest.