The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-02-08
EPYOUR
 CHILDREN
By OlMs Roberts Bsrtoa .
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 Roses are red and violets are blue, ''sugar is sweet and so are you"
 We oldsters forget all about Valentines Day until we see the hearts and flowers in the windows. For pity's sakes," we sniffle. 'Ts that silly time around again z Dhy, it's just O month or so since we were smelling out dimes for those same penny catchers." And we VOW that for once we are going to keep the missiles of Dan Cupid Anyhow what business have kids with all that stuff? Roses are red!" twill you be mine 2" "I love you" My heart is pin- ing"
 Trash, we think: disgusting to see little tots of six and eight and ten traffiicking in romance. lfl- stead of St. Valentine keeping his anniversaries by appealing to youth an dthe older sentimental ists, we figure truculantly that he's turned baby snatcher. Well, we just won't have 1t. that's all. This year for once we will show that we have some character left and put q stop to the whole busi- ness.
 Giving in to Demands
 So when Bobby and Susy begin to go shopping we meekly go to our purses and say, as we dig for chicken feed, "They have some beauties down at Snitzers, chil- dren. And don't forget to buy one for Cousin Louie."
 fhip1 tho nafrnn cafnf nP low CTS had the children in mind when he chose the doldrums of Febru- ary for his annual tryst. We all need holidays, some leavening of existence an da break in monoto- ny. If Valentine Day did not come along just now, we would probably have to invent St. Froebel's Day, or q St. J. w. Riley Day, or St. Pier-Piper Day. Some sore of day in which the children could cook up a merry time to satisfy a spiritual hunger for excitement.
 We say and rightly, too, They have so much we did not used to have--movies and toys and car rides. Why do they insist on more?'
 Inspiration for Activity
 The answer is obvious. They insist on something then can do themselves. Something allowed to their choise, surprises they can plan, fun they can invent, shop ping they can do without super vision.
 Then too they want something tangible. And they want color. It is satisfied by the lace paper ,.t ,t.e 70 I,1 average valentine. Besides 1t ap- sort of happy holiday draws them together like Q tom-tom pulling the tribes for dance, or the dyed feathers and paint for war. It Is human and therefore the same in children, to need 8 common cause.
 They are fed up on abstracts like all the rest of us. The good of holiday is immeasurable.
 Passing Fancy
 As to the sentiments on these bits of amorous pasteboard, rest yourself, dear mother. Some of thcm,ala are common and vul- gar. As for love, doesn't every child on earth know there is such a thing? He does today, anyhow. To him 1t is just one of those things like driving his own car some day, only less romantic. All contained in the world he will come to but hasn't reached yet. If Bobby buys five valentines for one girl and none for anybody else, don't run off to a moral clinic to find out why. He probably will do just this little thing. Don't tease him about 1t. Look back, mother Didn't you have Will liam WiIleth. and did 1t hurt you? Certainly not.
 Well, your own William or your own Susannah are just that way. Probably by tomorrow Billy will be pulling his lady loves hair or holding her cat by it's tall. So much for childhoor romance. Don't worry If all the valentines go to one girl or one boy. Just let us sigh and wish we were chill dren again. Copyright 1895, NEA Service Incl