Evening star., 1936-06-02
= m m er
Vacations
And Visits
Send Children Away
for Time if
Possible.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

Nov that vacation is on the way
1t is time to consider the visit to
Aunt Hattie, or to the farm or camp.
A visit helps children in many ways
A separation from home and family
can be an inspiring experience that
will carry through many months Of
the following year. All We need con-
slider Is the responsibility Of those to
whom the children go for the visit.
That is extremely important to our
purpose and should be guaranteed by
personal knowledge of the people and
the place and the program.
Children need to get away from
home. They become so accustomed
to the people about them. to the
privileges they enjoy, to the response
bilities that are theirs. They lean
too hard on home and lose any no.
ton they might have had about stand
ing on their own feet and going ahead
on their own power. A period among
strangers-and even close relatives
are strangers to family ways-opens
the children's minds to experiences
| they do not have at home. Children
| can be so conditioned to home and
| family as to become unconscious Of
them. The Summer visit wakens
| them to values they have overlooked.
Mothers are too much given to
thinking, Nobody will be on hand to
see that they get their orange juice
fresh, first thing in the morning No
body will see that he gets to bed on
time. I'm the only one who under
stands his behavior. He has never
| been away from me single day since
he was born. Maybe he would fall
i'll. Perhaps he would be a bother.
He really doesn't want to CO."
He and she need to go, Prepare
them for the visit, take a deep inter-
est in their clothes, their play out
fits, talk about the good times ahead
and let them see that you think their
going is a fine thing for them. Send
them along cheerfully and prepare to
| enjoy as best you may relief from the
routine their presence imposes. Take
time out for yourself and do some of
the things you have been wanting
| to do.
If it seems good to you, exchange
children with friends. That helps to
dispel the loneliness, fills your day
again. And you will learn that your
own children are not so much worse
than others. These children will do
about the same things your own do
after q few days of acquaintance be-
| gins to wear of the newness. You
will find many things to make you
| happier In your own children, and
perhaps a few to make you determine
to correct some Of their habits that,
in the light of your visitors behavior,
are not as good as they might be.
The experience of visit among
strangers yields a richer return than
might appear on the surface. Many
child has returned to his home and
family with new power, more self
assurance, better attitudes, more ap-
probation and sympathy than ever
| he had before. Not that the home or
the camp he visited was SO much su-
perior to his home, but that they
lighted up the home picture so that
this child saw it as he had never seen
it before. Not that this strange
place was administered in better style,
but that its administration shed light
on home ways, to the advantage OF
home.
Association with strange children
brings out personal strengths because
| opposition, resistance, cooperation
and unity bring out strong personal
traits. A Summer visit Is truly worth
q trial.