Evening star., 1935-10-21

of 13 or IA, then life is simpler for
you. She will have outgrown childish
gatherings, so that the annual birth
day affair of cake. ice cream, movies
or marionettes no longer holds any
real charm. She will be content to
stay at home, take in an occasional
movie, 60 in for athletics, reading and
listening to the radio and being a
peaceful, comfortable child for few
more years. That is a relief to par
entS, and mothers and fathers may
relax happily secure in the knowl-
edge that daughter is doing just what
she really wants to do, and that no
further effort is required of them fol
the time being.
TT IS not wise to force the girl who
does not want to go to dances given
for groups Of her own age, or to mlngle
with boys and girls at small, informal
parties. The chances are that the
trouble is merely adolescent shyness.
which will diappear as ineXplicably as
1t arrived-especially if no attention
IS paid to it. A girl who is coaxed or
commanded into attending dancing
school and junior festivities against
her will, is apt to develop a dislike
of society that will stick with her the
rest of her life. And. one very serious
consequence may be that. due to being
o Wallflower at her first dance, she
will be convinced that she has no
1hor n a
career of unpopularity. This in itself
will prove disastrous, for girls with a
resigned expression never wear out
dancing slippers.
Then there is the girl who wants
terribly-to be a success at parties.
She wants it so much that her very
eagernesS defeats her aim. Her laugh
ter is too loud-her animation is too
pronounced-her clutching at any
available boy too obvious. Her prob
lem should be carefully and gently
dealt with, for her desire to please
makes her especially sensitive to criti-
ClSrn, and pointing out her faults may
easily curdle all the JOY within her.
The best way to handle her case is to
= underline her own errors by offering
some other child-either real or imag-
mary, as an example, in casual con-
verSation.
For instance. if your child has been
guilty of too loud talking and max
ing herself conspicuous, you might
remark. a day or SO after the party,
How dreadfully noisy girls impress
one! Some one told me that at the
party the other evening tall girl in a
blue dress (your daughter wore pink,
made herself thoroughly unattractive
by talking and laughing so that every
one in the room heard it, Even the
boys commented on how uncomfort-
able she made them feel when they
were with her I don't imagine she'll
be very popular if she keeps that up"
A word to the wise is generally sufl-
cient, and the girl who is ambitious
to get along socially is one of the
wisest of mortals in such matters.
She'll take the hint without having to
absorb the sting.
X X X
TT IS so important for mothers to
help their children get started in
their good times. Many mothers say
helplessly, "Oh, don't know where
Mary meets such awful boys and girls!
She is out with them all the time, and
is always going to their houses for par
ties-half the time don't even know
their names. She never tells me any,
thing"
Just too bad about you, mother.
Did you ever try to direct your daugh-
ter's steps in the right paths to
friendship? Did you ever make an
effort to cultivate that nice Mrs.
Brown, because she had two charming
sons that would some day be pleas
ant friends and dancing partners for