Milford chronicle., 1942-12-04
% o M E ED WGATI@W
1.-THE ChildS First School is the.
FGmily"-FRoEBEL
Issued by the National Kindergarten
Association, 8 West 40th Street,
New York City
"CAN'T A GUY DO ANYTHING %
TreIIa Dick


Bruce, please don't turn the wa.
ter on the window box. The suns
too hot" Mrs. Bradley's voice held
weary note of irritation. Why
must Bruce be so trying on a hot
busy morning like this?
There was, also, a distinctly pee
wish note in her eight-year-old
sons response, "Jimminy, Nom
Can't a guy do anything?'
Bruce, you've said that twenty
times this morning, l do believe. ]
wish you'd try not to say it SO
much"
Have I, Mom?" The small boy
stared up through the open dining
room window at her. Twenty
times! Whew,. that's a lot"
He was thoughtful a moment,
then exclaimed, well, Nom, I've
only said it when you told me not
to do things, so that proves what a
lot of things I'm not allowed to do
around here"
With a shock, Mrs. Bradley real
lied that her sons remark was
true. He hadn't repeated his mo-
notonous query any oftener than
she had said, Don't"
If his expression had been tire
some to her disciplined, adult
mind, how much more so, must
hers have been to him!
Mrs. Bradley felt that she must
do some deep thinking. She couldn't
do it with the clear-eyed gaze of
her son upon her.
Bruce, will you go on an errand
for me?" she asked. There was no
irritation in her tone, now.
Sure, Nom, sure. Where to?
May 1 take Tuck along?" His tone,
too, had changed-it was eager and
had lost all fretfulness.
"Yes, you may take Tuck. 1t will
be nice little trip for him. I have
a magazine to send to Mrs. Jensen.
It's quite distance to go this warm
morning"
Il don't mind-honest 1 don't.
There's lots of shade"
There was a mist in Mrs. Brad
ley's eyes as she watched him step
blithely down the street.
"The first Please do instead of
Don't that 1 have said this morn
ing-and look how he responds to
it," she murmured contritely.
She stopped her work and sat
down in chair Let me see. What
are some of the 'don'ts' that l have
handed out so freely to that child
this morning?" She said. There
was, Don't make Tuck growl,'
Don't come to the table until you
have combed your hair Don't
leave the screen door OPEN Don't
ask for another cent today Don't
- o, 1 had better get pencil
and some paper and go at this in a
business-like way!'
Carefully, Mrs. Bradley listed all
the "don'ts" she could remember
having inflicted on Bruce that NOR
ming. Opposite them, she listed the
positive requests which she might
have made in place of the mega
tives which had so irked her small
son. She now realized how easy it
would have been to say, please
take Tuck out for a little run,
Bruce" instead of Don't get that
dog to barking, I'm trying to
phone"
Instead of telling him not to wa
ter the petunias, she could have
some use of the water
which would have been beneficial
or at least would have done no
harm.
with a little thought, 1 could
have avoided all those unwise neg
she decided. I'm the future,
l shall certainly try to avoid them.
But if 1 forget, when Bruce says, |
Can't a guy do anything" I'll say,
Surely a guy can do something,
Son. and then I'll suggest some
thing interesting to do. 1 have a
with a wry smile, that |
It will help my disposition as much
as it does his"
And Mrs. Bradley was right, as
she soon proved.