The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-11-06


century. They are not old ladies nor
do they sit quietly In chimney cor
ners. Instead they have full and In
teresting lives of their own and any
sitting IN chimney corners they do
Is because they want. not have, to
do 1t. Yes. grandmothers have quite
q time for themselves, besides which
they question whether It's good for
the children to be subjected to d.
vided authority. and on this some
OF our best psychologists agree.
Needed In Plant
The problem Of what to do with
young children whose mothers have
gone, or want to 60. into defense
work Is great. Many believe that
defense jobs should not be given to
women whose brood Is not ably
cared for by an individual or or.
ganization that qualities for the i'm
portant Job Of caring for the young.
On the other hand. 30 great Is the
need for women In defense plants
that those who. under normal cir
cumstances. would be greatly Oh.
posed to mothers having Jobs out
side tho home. concede that they
should 60 into defense work, but
not. Of course, until arrangements
are completed 10 have the children
properly taken care Of. It must be
admitted that there are mothers
who will Jump at the chance to
change burdens, who will gladly
assume the new for the old. every.
day one Of household and family
chores.
1t may be argued. with truth,
that the offspring of an Indifferent
mother Is better of under more ex-
pert care and that the child loses
nothing by having her working
elsewhere. but no responsible per-
son Is going to feel that even when
there Is need for women power.
children should be left to the casual
care Of neighborS or of someone
hired to keep an eye on them. There
can be no more vitality important
work in wartime. as at any other.
than caring for the children. The
most helpful work community can
engage in Is seeing that its children
are adequately protected and pro-
vided for.
On Part Time Shifts
DR.. Elizabeth B. Hurlock. In
structor in Psychology and Univer-
sity Extension at Columbia Univer-
sity. says. Dragging mothers OF
school-age children into war work
will inevitably lead to q rise In jul
venile delinquency comparably to
that experienced In England. II
there are not enough single women
available for war plants" DR.. Hur-
lock suggested, industry should
employ mothers only on part-time
shifts covering the period Of the
day when the children are In
school.
Schools cannot provide the nee
essary supervision Of leisure time
after class. unless they increase the
size of their staff and the amount
Of equipment. and It Is very UNI
likely that this increase would be
possible In the war situation.
THE lack Of servants has IN
creased the amount Of work moth
ers must do In the home. and de-
creased the time they can spend
with their children. Children must
either give UP the play time which
they have considered their right In
order to help with the housework.
or run wild In the streets while their
mothers try to I'LL the obligations
Of housework and factory job"
Some effort Is being made to pro-
vide nursery schools for pre-school
children now. but the opinion Of
the grade schools that pre.school
training was unnecessary kept the
number Of nursery schools and
teachers to q minimum. The very
short courses now being given to
volunteer workers are adequate for
assistants in nursery schools. but
not for teachers.