The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-07-02
Your Children
By Olive ROberts Barton

There must Do peace in family Iife if nothing else. ft takes charac- ter to remember this, and to act ac- cordlngly.
 Nothing is 90 contagious as . bad temper, nothing % depressing as complaint. How useless both are, and how chlldishl
 It would be . grand thing # every mother and father could change places once . week. But even this would hardly help 70 Q better understanding of each others difficulties, becauge it is impossible to hop Into another's shoes and feel like him. All of us develop obses- sions about our work that even our partners could not understand in Q thousand years.
 Mary Feels Neglected
 Mary hes been up half the night with baby. She gets ID to another hot, hard day. John, she thinks bitterly, has had . full nights sleep and off in that of- flee thinks he's working when he adds up . few figures. FIe comes home at six, expects his dinner and then doesn't help with the dishes. He won't even take her to Q movie.
 when John goes to work, he has feeling, however, that he hes left Mary secure in . house fairly comfortable. She will have food and ct least some convefi. fences She will be busy, yes, and tired, too, poor girl, but if she's desperately tired, the way he feels 90 much of the time, she can get her head on . pillow for Q few TiiIis utes once iti Q while.
 Maybe the work will have to wait, but once in . corner Mary can let it go at that and get some rest. Moreover, she's her own boss. Nobody to crack whip over her head or blame her for not getting on invoice out or to hint every other hour that better men than he is are out of Jobs.
 Wording Under Strain
 Hours in the office facing drab wall, the clack of typewriterD and adding machines driving rivcta into his brain. Sometimes he thinks he'll have to rush out, knock down few pedestrians and then dive off the bridge. He needs to exercise and stretch his muscles. But by six he is SO men- tally and spiritually logged car- pet beater, or even . dish cloths irritates him further.
 Mary says the inatallment man was there, tho wheel on the bug. gy Is off, she's had headache and for oil he cares she could de and good riddance.
 John, seethIng inside oil day over the pettincss and nagging ot the office manager, holding In De. cause If he didn't both Mary. ana the baby would starye, now turns on her and lets go the blast. An explosion is necessary to relieve his tortured feelings, 50 Mary bee ing near and rubbing salt in the wound, although she doesn't guess, gets the broadside.
 Maybe 1t hes to be this way. Character is one thing and limit Ul gtAuuHutiGG ID UhSeAtShs AsS"N ~sS tired, each thinks the other does not give them credit; life Is no bed of roses and looks as black as the bottom of c dry river-bed.
 Must Make Allowances
 But Mary should try to remem- ber that John is begging away at 6 distastefuI job day after day to give her c certain security and iil- dependence. John, that Mary M fighting her way every hour un- der the pressure of a dozen an- nOyances and discouFagementS. rearing his child as well as hers and being as brave about 1t as a woman of Mary's undeveloped type can be. He must give Mary time to cultivate emotional strength and he as patient as he can.
 Not until husband and wife learn to respect each others troubles end allow for them. forgive special fail- lngs and understand the battles each is fighting alone, can there Do peace. And there should. be peace. Copyright, i9s6. NEA Service, Incl