The Key West citizen., 1954-11-30
Ha
Boyle
Sd US

new baby In the house, the vet
eran parents among your friends
are always warning:
eyes, they're wonderful when
they're helpless and completely de-
pendent on you. But wait until they
learn to walk. Then you'll never
know moments peace. They just
become little terrors."
Well, Tracy Ann, who came to
our house to live when she was
five weeks old, has now passed
her 17th month birthday. She
walks and climbs like crazy, try
ing each hour to explore and alb
sorb all the wonders and knowledge
in the whole wide world. And
while life with her is admittedly
less peaceful, it grows more won
derful each passing golden day.
Nothing makes a grownup appre-
ciate the commonplace miracles Of
our daily lives-miracles to which
time has dulled us--than to watch
a child discover them one by one.
Take a simple thing like shad-
ows, for example. The morning
Tracy discovered she could wave
her hands in the bright sunlight
and make moving shadows on the
wall she went wild with excite
ment. When the sun went behind
a cloud and the shadows ceased,
she complained bitterly What had
gone wrong in the world?
She can initiate lamb, a dog, a
cow, and an Indian princess-this
last she does by patting her lips
and letting out war whoops. But
her actual vocabulary consists of
four words-mama, dada, papa,
and no.
Although Frances and I, have
avoided saying mo" TO- her I. as
much as possible, she. picked up
the word 1--WE like to think) from
her little friends in the playground
for small fry in our apartment
development, playground which
the young mothers generally refer
to as ''The Snake Pit"
s'No! No! MOI No!' she says,
striding about like a Hollywood
producer. And like a Hollywood
producer she often says mo" when
she really means Eyes"
It is almost frightening to see
the speed with which a child's
personality develops, for m j n g
swiftly into a pattern that will
probably last q lifetime. Already
we know that Tracy is intelligent
but stubborn, that physical punish
ment has no effect upon her but
that she is kind, has a strong sense
of duty and a deep need for loving
approval. II
She dislikes sudden noises, but
will 60 up and throw her small
arms fearlessly around the neck
Of the biggest, loudest barking
dog. She loves colorful flowers but
has learned to pet them, not de-
stroy them. She is passionately
fond of all animals and birds, and
breaks into a grooming love chant
when she sees them.
When In moments Of childish re-
bellion against going to bed she
has struck out at her mother we
have found the best way toAdeal
with the situation is to tell her
quietly, "Tracy, don't hurt NOM
my" Her eyes swim with instant
tears. But personal pain she bears
with almost stole fortitude. When
she fell and scraped her shin and
saw her own blood for the first
time, she came and showed the
wound to Frances, but never cried
at all.
No child her age ever tried
harder to learn the arts of a
housewife. Tracy wants to help
her mother cook, serve meals, do
the dishes and darn stockings.
Somewhere in America there is
a runny-nosed, dirty-cheeked lit
tie boy growing up. l wonder what
kind of a man he viii be. For here
l am spending the best years Of
my life training a perfect little
wife for him. / hope the scoundrel,
whoever he is, win have the COM
mon decency to come to me 20
years or so from now and say,
ssfhanks dod -