The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-06-27
TIME OUT
LUCIA MALLORY

see them every day-tired mothers,
cross mothers-who have not had the
wisdom, or the courage, or the good
sense, to take little "time out" from
mothering their families.
There is serious minded Mrs. Curtis,
who brings her little daughter to the
library and leads her to the shelves
of sober books that fit into her own
adult plan of educational reading.
Patricia's merry brown eyes have
never peeped beneath the covers of a
nonsense book, and we have some de-
lightful ones on our reading table!
Why doesn't that earnest young
mother rest few minutes from the
serious business Of education and just
enjoy her little girl for a while?
There is tired-looking Mrs. Boone,
who manages to come to the library
with her children and then nervously
hurries them away without permitting
them to make their own selection Of
books or to enjoy any Of the displays
that we have prepared for their bene-
fit. How much better it would be for
the children if she would let them come
to the library by themselves and take
that time for her own rest or pleasure!
The library is safe place for children
to linger. The librarians are always
ready to give them any assistance they
need.
: AS a matter of fact, most children
are happier to help themselves. The
books seems more really to belong to
them when they wander among the
shelves at will There are several chill
dren who come to the library after
school and spend an hour waiting for
their mothers to come from some club
or party.
Nancy Harter, one Of the best
mothers | know, told me how she
learned that she would be better
mother if she spent little part of
every week away from her children.
We were having cake and coffee to-
gether at a meeting of the College
Women's Club when the subject came
up.
"The babies were so sweet to me
when they were little that just
couldn't spend enogh time with them,"
Nancy began. ut seemed wonderful to
have family of my own after taking
!, care Of other peoples children in the
schoolroom for SO many years.
can old colored woman used to come
every week to do cleaning for me. One
afternoon when she was there the boys
were dreadfully cross and quarrelsome.
| tried to amuse them, but they kept
on fussing.
" What can be the matter with Dick
and Terry?' | asked Aunt Mary.
Neither is getting teeth and thy've
had plenty Of food and sleep
"'Da ain muffin de malta with dem
boys, Mis- Ha'ta. Why don't you-all go
see a good show dis afternoon
And leave the babies with you?
But you can't get your work done if
you take care of them,' protested.
"'You-all jes go long. Dem babies
dom need much tendin'.'
fortunately l had the good sense
to take Aunt Mary's advice / came
back from the picture show refreshed
and rested to find the boys playing
happily on clean kitchen floor, while
Aunt Mary was getting dinner.
g. Is your cleaning all done, Aunt
Mary?' | asked in amazement.
"'Sho it am Aunt Mary answered,
chuckling to herself in way she had.
Dem boys and me, we gifts lot O.
work done!
"For time the thought ranked that
my boys would behave better with an
uneducated old colored woman than
with their own mother, who had had
years of child study and primary
teaching. 1t did not take me long,
though, to understand mothering.
give managed to take a little time
out every week since Aunt Mary
kindly gaye me the lesson l needed"
81 wish all mothers might learn that
lesson and profit by it as well as you
have done," | answered, thinking of
Nancy's happy family and her own
happy self.