The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-07-24
Rv KATHLEEN NORRIS

w 7HEN a woman lives in
M the family of her mar
w ried son she ought to
meet that sons wife at least
halfway in the matter of keep
ing the home serene. And if the
daughter-in-law won't come half
way, she ought to go three-quar-
tiers of the way, or nine-tenths
of the way.
If she isn't willing to do this,
then she ought not to be living
there at all. If she has no in
come and still isn't willing to
make herself an agreeable and use
full member of the younger house.
hold, she should get job. There
are not, to be sure, aagreat many
well-paid, easy, dignified jobs Tor
women past SO, but there are al
ways bathrooms in hospitals to
clean, linen rooms in hotels to keep
in order, dishes in restaurants to be
washed.
Since these are simple facts, and
the very mothers-in-law themselves
know that they are facts, how aston
ishing it is to find so many elderly
women planted firmly in the homes
of their sons, making a great deal
of trouble, expecting a great deal OF
consideration, and acting generally
as though there were a great many
pleasanter lives they might be lead
ing and their remaining In the
household was sort of favor.
Ingeborg is fine young woman OF
Swedish descent who was a mas
seuse before her marriage. She and
her doctor husband have four small
sons. The doctors mother lives
with them.
"Joe's mother" writes Tnga, "oc-
cupied this big house alone for many
years, but it belongs to him. When
our living expenses had to be
stretched to take care of four chill
dren and two servants rent was a
serious problem. AS there were
about six unoccupied bedrooms here
and plenty of garden space, ne sug-
gested to his mother that we COM
bine forces, and at that time she
was delighted with the idea. was
i'll for months after the twins were
born, and although / was conscious
of friction here and there, it is only
now, when / am well again, that l
realize some of the difficulties OF
having two mistresses in the house.
A Tr0ublemaker.
envy mother-in-law," the letter
goes on, sis the kind Of woman who
runs her finger over high surfaces or
shelves or bookcases and remarks
on the slightest film of dust. Any
interruption by the children she ig-
nores exactly as though they were
not there. She criticizes me to Joe
as being too familiar with my help
ers; and because she saw the nurse
downtown in a beauty parlor smok-
ing q cigarette she asked me to dis
charge her. There Is no question OF
my discharging 1elga, because she
has been q tower of strength to me,
willing to make beds, cook formu-
las, wash dishes, even rake leaves
and wash windows. Her people and
mine have known one another for
300 years.
ssIn the kitchen 1 have fine, will
ing old Chinese, but he is lame,
and Joe's mother gets impatient
with his slowness. She never had
but the one child, and always had
plenty of money. and she does not
seem to realize that four small
boys are a greater problem than
one.
Everything do displeases her.
She asks me what we are having
for lunch, and remarks that she will
have sandwich downtown some.
where. II Joe IL tired and irritable
before dinner she babies him; she
h 20 sorry. darling, that you have