The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-08-03
Y,ouR CHILDREN
By Olive Roberts Barton
ss!ssI " EEz szsV!SE INC;

During vacation we expect won ders from the children, particular ly if they are old enough to be of the slightest use about the house. For weeks before school was out didn't we say that Billy could attend to the grass this sum- mer and that Betty could help with the dishes and beds and learn to do homework? c.lsl
 We have had plenty of time now by midsummer to take stock Of these plans of ours. How have they worked out? Has Billy been cutting and digging and weeding the way we had 1t all fixed up? Has Betty been making immacu- late beds, shining glasses, learning to make pies, scrubbing porches?
 No! And are we disgusted be- cause we think We have the lazi- est, most shiftless pair of young sters outside of 8 Mark Twain story?
 Are They Slackers?
 You need not tell me because know; if not about your Billy ana your Betty, at least about hun dreds of others. and if your own are model they are the exceptions that prove the rule. Billy has to be reminded every Thursday that the lawn needs shave. If the weeds are not soon pulled out or the phlox bed, We shall soon have to use burdocks for a table dec- oration. Betty plays or reads or loafs until about eleven. when a sharp reminder drags her unwill- ingly upstairs where she yanks up sheets with her left hand regard less of wrinkles. Her dishwashing leaves room for improvement In the form of scum-her cooking is a minus quantity--she is the worlds prize stacker.
 Neigh, ho! Are we discouraged :? I would say We are. We wish our complex on anybody who will Iis- ten to our tale of woe, and expect sympathy. Two lazy, good-for- nothing youngsters. that's what they are, and what on earth are we going to do about 1t? We don't tell their father however. because we know very well that he not only will land on them but he will blame us. Funny about this father busi- ness, by the way, the reason we don't tell him things half the time is that we hate to acknowledge failure. We try to save not only the children but ourselves.
 If We get down to cases and do a bit of analysing, matters may not look 50 bad. Betty and Billy are typical of all children in summer time.
 It is not deliberate laziness that ails them, but 8 natural inertia akin to tropical fever. It gets into the blood of older folk as well as children; besides children are occu- pied with another interesting thing. They are growing, and the com- bination of heat and growth is not conducive to pep. It is all right to give them tasks, regular tasks too, and let them know that we expect them to do them, but they will not work with the regularity or perfection that our adult stand ards demand. Children are seldom deliberately careless-they move and act under different standards from our own, that Is all.
 We might keep arter them, but not with nagging, frowns and re- marks about their shortcomings. A crisp tone that means business accompanied by 8 smile will go fur ther than all the scolding in the world-if we want to get real re- suits and not produce a resentment commensurate in volume to the work they do.
 Summer time is growing time; il is hot, steamy, lazy time. Why ex- pect the children to show more en- ergy now than they do at other more salubrious seasons of the year? We will simply have to learn to make allowances for the weather and permit everybody to do the best he can-including the children.
 If the house. beds have wrinkles and the fiower-beds weeds, that is no sign that Billy and Betty won't be the worlds most energetic peo- pie when they grow up. Perhaps we might look back and remember some summers ourselves, summers we'd like to have back--all but the sCOldingS