The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-03-23
Your Children
By Olivs Rsbsrts Bartsn

"ComparisOn is OdiCus." goes the saw.
 Mama smith lOcs.s inAo baby Mariee mouth daily and wondets when those first teeth are coming through. Finally, months late, they show up. In the meantime, Mrs. Smith is wondering why Marie doesn't try to walk.
 All the other babies her ago arc walking. Why not hers2 The other children are doing cute things, too, put Marie just appears to at and let the time pass.
 Things work out and % does Marie. She gets her teeth eventually and she walks well, but four months late according to her mothers cal- endar.
 The past Is. forgotten. But now, here's her baby, still unable to do what the neighbor's children do. She can't get the secret of the pedals on her, scooter. She can't catch ball. At the table little Marie still has trouble with spoons and forks.
 Schools Causes More Worry.
 And school comes. By this time, of course, the child knows all about tricycles and balls and forks. She has caught on to everything her mother used to everything her mother used to worry about, all in her own good time, Q few months after her playmateg, that is all.
 Teachers find in Marie no apt pupils. She has a terrific time get- ting the mans" and can't and fans" scorted.
 "Oh, dear, was afraid she'd be slow" sighs Marie's good mother. And now she will dray the whole way through school, for years and years.''
 The child doesn't drag, but she never gallops or even trots. She goes at very deliberate walk at the tail end of the line. She is sober little girl. She talks slowly, thinks slowly and acts deliberately. It doesn't upset her much to hear her schoolmates be- ing cheered. But by this time her parents have perceived Q certain ability to analyze and get at reason and roots of things. Dare they hope?
 High school wins her the reputa- ton of being too much of sober- sides to be popular. With instruc- tors she ctftS no swathe. She argues points and won't conform to what books say. Sports have no charm for her. She likes to dance but 1t too awkward to bag dates.
 And college finds her tnelected as the most popular, the most efficient, the most useful or brilliant student.
 MetamOrphosis Seems Sudden
 Marie has few beaux. Her rel- atives all say, "Too bad-but Marie never had what 1t takes" They still think her stupid and uninter- esting.
 At twenty Marie writes . play. It surprises the faculty. The dra- matic department puts 1t in, and 1t is bowling success.
 After graduation Marie gets into the big magazines. She begins to shape up and be beautiful. Sudden ly out of nowhere, appear assur- ance and charm. At twenty-six she marries c man of intellect and posi- tion, Our little Marie who couldn't cut c tooth, who couldn't make Her pencil behave, who was almost the tag end of everything.
 What was the matter with the child? She was merely . year or two longer in developing, and there- fore always doing tasks expected of older children. Some young people are mature mentally and ernotional- ly at sixteen. Others not until twen- ty or even thirty. Encourage the slow child. He is more likely to have purpose" and result won't spread himself too thin to count.
 Copyright, 1887, NEA Service, Incl ! A wwa~a ~sww~ANNH euww1M