Evening star., 1937-06-10

OF Home
On Child
Good Manners Cost
No More, but Youth
Will Copy Them.
BY ANGELO CATRI.

HONE background is tremendous
influence upon the lives cf the
children. 1t can make for success Or
doom them to failure. The children
take their speech, their manners, their
attitudes and behavior from their
home. Their social life stems from
their home, and again success or
failure depends upon the quality Of
that background.
Most parents want their children to
have better opportunities, better jobs,
higher scales Of living, tetter social
position, than they had. If these
ambitions are to be realized the home
background has to rise with the par
entS' ambitions. One cannot expect
to rear a child to a higher place in
society without background in keep
| ing. Take the simple matter of table
habits.
Table manners are everywhere a
! recognized measure + social standing.
The person Who puts both arms on
the table and scoops the food from
| his plate into his mouth, which is held
at a conveniently close position won't
do for the best table in town. Spear
ing bread with a fork, plaStering a
slice of bread With butter or Jam, talk
ing through a mouth bulging with
food, eating through the menu with
out regard to anybody else at the
table, will not entitle him to sit with
the chosen. Yet that is the seat COW
eted by good parents fo- their children.
Why not stress dining habits little
in the home? Why not try to keep
them up to the standard of the best
1t costs no more to be good-m
nered than to be bad-mannered, but
the children will follow copy.
The best home standards have to
become those of the home that aspires
to a high place for the children.
Good homes have kitchens that are
bright. clean, and well-equipped with
shining pots and pans. Children like
to have kitchen parties where a few
of them can gather in the Kitchen and
make candy or sandwiches and have
fun. 1t may sound strange to ask or
kitchen clean and bright enough for
party. but it will mean a great deal
to the children if it is So 1t is awful
to be ashamed of home, to be ashamed
to ask other children to come in. The
children that associate with yours in
school are going to be the people they
associate with in their later years II
they cannot keep up to them now,
cannot meet them on their own level,
they won't be able to do it. ever Make
home right today so that it will serve
tomorrow.
Children do not worry so much
about not having rich looking home.
They want it to be nice home, and
by that they mean the kind of place
they can invite the best children to
come to. Mother must look nice
always The rooms must have a
homelike appearance and be orderly.
A bit of color in the hangings, plant,
a few books hint of music, an easy
chair and a light, dog or a cat or a
bird, make for the right atmosphere.
The quiet and security of home
made by people of good taste and
intelligence is what is wanted and
needed.
We must be willing to learn from
the children. Their ways are the
only ways for them when it comes
to serving, furnishing, welcoming
guests and the like. Listen and try
to meet the requirements half way
or all the way, whenever you can.
Home sets its mark on the children
and they will have to abide by 1t all
their lives. Make it right.
(Copyright, 1879