Milford chronicle., 1937-07-16
DO YOU KEEP YOUR
CHILD TOO BUSYi
BY Ruth Arnold Nickel

won't be at the meeting, tomorrow
said Mrs. Mitchell, as her neighbor
came out on the porch to greet her
I'm going to take Lillian to the mu-
scum"
How NICE" commented Mrs. Gra-
Gle, giving her a chair.
We'll, it's rather hot trip" Mrs.
Mitchell admitted, "and Lillian isn't
very enthusiastic. but l think she
ought to take advantage Of such
things. Besides. she never knows
what to do with herself during vaca-
tions. l simply have to arrange a
program for her. or she would waste
her time or NOPE. How did you man
age to get Gladys interested in so
many worthwhile things?"
Mrs. Oracle smiled. Gladys? Oh,
she and | take turns in choosing spe-
cial undertakings now. l used to in
sist that she work out certain prof.
ects. When she was twelve years
old-that was two years ago-I de-
cided that the time had come to teach
her all sorts of things. She had
learned to sew a little and loved to
make dolls clothes, but l wanted
her to make something useful.
bought some fine white cloth and
started her on a slip"
We'll, that sounds sensible
enough" approved Mrs. Mitchell.
though I'd be afraid to trust Lillian
with anything that expected her to
wear"
GLADYS never wore the slip" said
Mrs. Oracle ruefully, "at least not
until I had made it over. She dis
liked working on it. This started a
kind of struggle between u.s."
What did you do. let her drop it?"
asked Mrs. Mitchell with interest.
"Oh no, she finished it after fash
ion. but it was done grudgingly and
poorly"
But she sews now, doesn't she?"
Eyes. she sews beautifully" said
Mrs. Oracle. when the slip was
finally finished, l said nothing more
about sewing. | didn't want to fix
the dislike that l had started. Then
the next summer she begged me for
a pink tennis dress. 1t was early
in the season and the ones she liked
were too expensive. Then she said.
Mother, think l could make one, if
you'd help me with the binding
around the neck l tried not to
show my delight! We found a rem
nant of goods and she made the
iress with very little help from me;
you see she wanted it. She read the
and made it carefully"
But that implies that mothers
try to direct their chill
1ren." objected Mrs. Mitchell.
81 wondered about that" said Mrs.
3racie. "and | talked it over with
Tom. He had been trying to inn
prove her reading. but when he
brought books home from the library
she never seemed to care for them.
Then we concluded that we weren't
our purpose. We
we're selecting for Gladys the things
We wanted her to like"
Maybe you are right" said Mrs.
Mitchell. Tell me what you did"
1--WE decided to stop imposing our
astes upon Gladys and let her de-
1elop her own. We had kept her too |
,usy. AS l thought about it, | re-
nembered my own early summer |
'acations. l had regular work to do.
tut | was allowed to create most OF
ny own pleasures. | remembered
ong hours of misunderstanding /
,ooks that I learned to love, hours
i play, and gardening in the back
ard. Whenever | got bored. / be-
an to look around for something
ew and interesting to do.
81 told this to Tom and he remem-
cred the same conditions with re-
ard to his own childhood. We de-
ided that we had been supervising
IIadys too much. So we planned to
e ready to share experiences with
er part of the time, but to leave her
lany hours each week when she
'ould be entirely free.
GLADYS had to do some housework.
course, and that kept her busy in
le mornings. During the first week
ne seemed a little bored in the af-
,rnoons. Then one day she asked
e to teach her to knit a sweater!
he next week she began vOluntar-
v looking for something to read
nd before long she was interested
her own accord in some of the
Try subjects her father had hoped
le'd' likei"
"But wasn't she ever idle?" asked
RS. Mitchell.
Eyes. she used to lie in the ham,
ock on the porch sometimes for
,urs. One day she said to me.
Iother, l love to lie and look up at =
e sky in the summertime. In the ,
inter I'm too busy to think and get =
ings Strengthened out in my 2
md"
"Gracious!" said Mrs. Mitchell. ris-
g-"I think I'll drop the museum !
ting. Perhaps II drag Lillian :
ere on a hot day when she doesn't
int to go. she will dislike it. e
Il m afraid Gladys would" laughed :
s. Oracle sympathetically. "She
.en joins me in my enthusiasms IL 2
Ion't try to force them on her. But 7
e's AN individual. too, and can't
pect her to be exactly like me. d
, take many trips together and 7
re turns deciding where to go. A
Iseum trip is always the result of =
urge to see some special thing. N
tn of us enjoy it. but I am always
'eful to bring Gladys home while 81
} is still interested, and before y