The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-02-23
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
tBell syndicate-wNu Service,

NOMETlME before this year gets
too old it might be a good idea
~ to try to stop living your chill
dren's lives for them.
Not for the children's sake, pri-
marily, though for that, too. But
for your own sake, you young moth
ers and older mothers and grand
mothers, it is worth while to sit
down for few minutes, and seri-
ously consider just what your rela-
tionship with the younger generation
really is.
Begin by remembering what YOU
thought of the grown-ups, when you
were 16 and 20 and Is. You loved
them and were grateful to them for
years of kindness and care-and you
wanted to get them and their timid,
old-fashioned ideas out of the way
IS rapidly as possible, and begin the
glorious business of living your own
life.
There comes a moment in the life
of every girl of is or 16 when her
mother says something like this to
her:
"That's the telephone, Joan. And
If it's the Brown boy you tell him
that you can 60 to the movie, but
you have to come straight home
afterward, and if it's Allan for PHYS
sake don't gush at him as if he were
the only boy in the world, and stop
chewing that gum!"
There comes a time in the life of
every boy of II or 10 when his moth
er says something like this to him:
II cannot understand what you
like about that Tom; he isn't the
sort of friend I like you to have at
all. He's nice enough, but so ordi-
naryl Now if you do 60 out tonight
want you to be back here by IL;
you're making far too much fuss
about this silly club of yours, any
way, you'll be off after something
else in few weeks. And be sure
to telephone and ask that nice Baker
girl to go with you to the dance.
Her mother is president of our club
and she's really lovely girl, only
shy and quiet"
It Makes No Impression.
Both son and daughter listen, and
say, eyes, mom," respectfully, and
60 their ways no more impressed by
all the maternal fussing than are the
sparrows in the garden bushes.
They know, if mother and dad
don't, that the rules that form their
characters and will guide their con-
duct through life are far more fun
damental than anything that mother
can call from the kitchen or dad
shout from upstairs. What they have
of self-control, fineness, courage
with which to meet life, wisdom in
choosing amusements and occupa-
tions, was given them long before
they reached their present ages.
They are a man and woman at
16 and 10, and in their secret hearts
they are merely annoyed or bored
by parental control. The girl who
has had a good, gentle, intelligent
mother back Of her for all her IS
years will keep her heart at home,
entertain there, be proud to have
her friends share her own life. The
girl whose parents have themselves
had small interest in home, have
taken no pains to create harmoni-
GUS atmosphere there, have not stud
led her personality and built about
her a rampant Of friendships and
Inequalities, mustn't be surprised
if she makes her escape at the first
possible minute, and perhaps breaks
her heart and wrecks her life in the
process.
Some mothers carry their passion
for management straight on into
their children's married lives, as
does this Des Moines woman, whose
letter lies on my desk this morn
ing.
my only son made an extremely
unwise marriage" she writes. Ellis
4 wife is handsome, and her family
well-to-do, but she is a cold, selfish,
hard girl, and the miseries / have
suffered for my affectionate, gentle
boy only mother can knowl But
he real tragedy is their child. Phyl-