The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-12-26
YOUR CHILDREN. vNvvRabeyzs8sxtaz
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I shall have to introduce myself to father tonight while mother goes off to write letter.
 Being e tactful stranger. Mir Dad, shall try first to gain your favor by a compliment. Do you know that you are the grand, TO- mantle figure of your household2 That your little children personify in you everything that is adventur- ous, brave, mysterious and glam- orous.
 Their mother represents love, comfort, sympathy-buty you stand for the exact opposite Of the fa- millar, commonplace ana expected'
 This ls natural--not that famil- iarlty breeds contempt, but we dramatize the person more readily whom we see less. And with dra- matization we unconsciously link respect and 0 bit of delightful awe.
 Being a sermonlst I must get In my firstly, secondly, thirdly and lastly.
 Firstly, have you ever thought that children are influenced more easily through their admiration of person--you for instance--than through the admonishment of one to whom they are accustomed hourly such as their mother, or their teacher?
 That is why we hear mothers saw so often, "I can do nothing with Tommy or Lou, but they'll do anything their father says" e
 Secondly, if you ever destroy this firm belief In your own knight. hood, you lose one of the greatest influences for good on earth. One way to destroy 1t Is to be unrea- sonable, impatient and harsh with the children. Not that they feel the rebuke too keenly, but that It ruins their god for them eventual- " Win Chlldrcn's Respect. Oh, l don't mean that you have to turn into lily, mixing meta- phors. Your children will know some day that you have neither wings nor Q halo--but to De de, cent. self-respecting individual gives your own background color. 1t takes a good deal to make q child lose respect for his father look at "Chnmp's' boy--but every time such loyalty gets Q blow the power of Influence through respect is weakened. However, children are not so likely to lose respect through what we do ourselves as they do through our behavior to them. The are tolerant as q class and still more forgetful and forgiv- ing. .u dren see that you love them? Under too many little serge coats and jumper dresses beat hearts that want terribly to know | if their daddies really love them. They won't ask you, or speak or | 1t. or even wonder about 1t clearly to themselves probably. But the hunger is there.
 They know their mother loves them but about this in-and-out daddy of their who goes to his office or work every day they are not so sure. He only speaks a word or two when he comes in, he scolds when they don't toe the mark, he flies off at report cards, shouts when doors bang. All he knows Is sternness. Something very fine and rare IS
 weakening and dying-if this IS your case-and you are losing your chance to be the best friend your | children ever had. Their own dis- appointment and eventual fear wiil do the rest. If you widen the gap between you now. the time will come all too soon when nothing can be done about 1t.
 And lastly, children need more than their fathers support and | discipline. They need their love and friendship and should make | the most of 1t.