Evening star., 1939-05-09
Youngsters
Behavior in
Company
Don't BeHumiliated
At What They Do
Before Visitors
By ANGELO PATRI.

Everybody puts his best foot for
ward "in company Unfortunately
for everybody, children are not
experienced in the situations and
meanings involved, and in putting
their best forward, they put the
foot in, deep. They either show off
or they don't show at all. Those
that show of are the hardest trials
of all. Their parents hate to take
them in hand before the company.
They are quick to know that, and
quicker to act on it, and SO they
go from bad to unbearable, and
something cracks.
Janice is a well-behaved child
when alone with her family. Obe-
dent, well-mannered. and unobtru-
sive, she lives peacefully enough with
her father and mother. Visitors,
strangers to the family. came for
dinner. Mother had gone to special
pains to have everything just so for
the occasion. And she had dressed
Janice in her best and told her that
she was going to be allowed to meet
the guests and then be excused.
She was to have her supper in the
sitting room, upstairs, with Granny
who had come for the purpose.
Janice accepted this all cheerfully,
with no show of opposition, indeed
without a seeming thought one way
or the other. The guests arrived
and Janice was brought in. She
made her curtsy, and all was well
until, to her mothers amazement,
she went across the room to the
gentleman and, putting her hand
on his, said, Want to see me stand
on my head? Look" Down went
the beautifully curled head and up
came the two faultlessly shod feet.
And I can dance. too. Just see
me-" And she jumped on the cof-
fee table to show her steps.
Mother sat, looking on with unbe-
lieving eyes and ears. This could
not be her well-mannered, obedient
daughter. Father recovered first and
gathered his screaming, protesting
child in his arms to take her out
Of the room. She kicked furiously
and shouted, "You bad old Daddy,
you. I'll kick you-" Father turned
her over, gave her one smart slap
where she needed it most, and then
removed her, more quietly now, from
the scene.
The old gentleman rose to the
occasion. do you remember the
night Bob did that to us?" he asked
his wife. She chuckled. Like yes
terday."
Turning to her stricken hostess
she told the story. 1--WE wanted to
make a good impression on these
people. Their good opinion meant q
great deal to us, so we laid ourselves
out to have everything perfect. We
arranged to keep the children Out
of the way. Bob was about the age
of your little girl, about 4, think
Sarah was a baby.
After dinner, and things had moi
gone as well somehow as we had
hoped, for they seemed to be haro
to interest, the gentleman asked II
we had any children, and when hi
heard about Bob he asked to SET
him. We brought Bob in, never
dreaming that he would not be hi
usual self at least.
well, he wasn't. The sight o1
the strangers seemed to inspire him
with deviltry. He strutted, and hi
posed, and finally took to running
about the room slapping each OF u.
on the head with folded newspaper
he picked up from the table. His
father caught up with him, took him
across his knee and gave him hi.
first and last spanking. I was GOV.
cred with humiliation, but the
guests seemed to become human
after that and we got along splen-
didly. Children are the same the
world over"
The same, but different, each
time. Don't be Inundated, but take
hold of the situation and SO prevent
what is an extraordinary exhibition
from becoming the usual thing
Prepare children ahead Of time by
giving them . program Of action
something to do, and q way eut
again when they do 1t.