Dorothy Dixs Dix's Dix s 's Letter Box I SETTLING THE MOTHER MOTHER LAW LAW IN-LAW QUESTION BY SHARING THE BURDEN WHY MISS EIGHTEEN IS IN LOVE WITH LOVE AND NOT WITH ANY SPECIAL BOY BOV HOW OFTEN SHOULD A YOUNG MAN HAV HAVE HAVETHE HAVETHE THE FAMILY CAR DEAR r EAR DOROTHY DIX DIX Whom do you think the law in should live with her own daughter or her ber law in My law in mother law has lived Und with us ever since we have been married and it has hag been eight miserable unhappy years thai but but for her would have been happy and peaceful She SheT T is III so ao disagreeable that her bel own daughters cannot y get along with her and so ao she is foisted on ne me neI meI I have to do all my my own work and have have smaller children than they have bave and I feel that It Is Js their place to take care of ot her What Is your opinIon vs MRS X Answer It Is III 1 certainly her iter daughters daughter duty to take care of their mother mether part of cf the th time r and thus thua relieve you of the strain of cf having and thus thul thu relieve you of the strain of having to endure continually a discordant element l rn In In your home That will get upon anybody's nerves In the end and break down any mor mor- mor DOROTHY DIX 1 ale le The selfishness ot of human nature has hasas no more vivid vivia Illustration than is shown in the way with which families deal deal with the problem of the old father or mother It is only in la rare Instances you that that yoU you see see each of ot the sons and daughters accepting their responsibility and shouldering their share of the burden burdens burdens- Generally the most ami ami- amiable amiable able and going easy or 01 th the most conscientious one oC ot the children Is appointed the family goat and mother molher or father wished on him or her by the others This Thil virtually ruin ruins the life lite of the victim who must endure day In and day out out cut year year after year the fh fretting ancl and nagging of of an idle old person who having nothing to do and no Interests of her or hi his hla own take takes out hll hi or her discontent at life by never ending finding fault fault Yet no one need be unduly sacrificed If each of the tha sons aona and daughters took turn turns at taking care COIro of mother or father Of OC course Mary course Mary says that she is too busy to take care ot of o mother and Sally says her husband Is III perfectly furious all the time mother Is la with them and Toms Tom's wife wife- cant can't get along with mother at atall atall tall all and Sams Sam's wife Insists on oa living ata at a hotel so so mother law cant can't cant can't-atay stay with them and so It is left leet to poor POOl Jane or Bobs Bob's wife to have mother mot h era all 1 o of ot f t the he i time Ume 1 me while t the he others other a pay a Y her b er a II fl flying P in g visit And the other children Ignore the fact that other mother Is just lust as much their mother as she Is Janes Jane's or Bobs Bob's and that she aggravates Bobs Bob's wife wICe lust just as much as she does her ber other laws But In all the world Is II i there anything more mere pitiful than these then poor old peep people Ie whom nobody wants want wan unless It Is II the poor young people who have their happiness destroyed and the peace of their homes wrecked by the old eld Yet Vet nobody I Is really to blame In this terrible dilemma In which thousands upon thousands of families find themselves th m elves 4 Mother Is la not to be lie blamed because she Is set In her ways and full of ot prejudices and peculiarities nor Is she to be blamed because she feels teela that she has a right t to run her childrens children's homes and inter interfere fere ere in n all of o their affairs and advise and admonish them occasionally Nor Is mothers mother's daughter to be bo blamed for lor not wanting wanting mother to live liTe with her when she tees sees that mother keeps her husband in I a constant state of or Irritation and Is la driving him away from her and breaking up her home l I lNor INor Nor is the daughter in to be blamed for tor not wanting to live with a mother law who Is a continual thorn In the flesh lesh that tor torments ments menta her past endurance The only solution of the difficulty I Is II for the children es esto to divide out mothers mother's time that time that each will have a rest rett from her nagging Or better hetter stilt would It be to establish some sort ort of old ladles home de lux where mother could be boarded and only pay visits to her hr children It seems seem to me for the old eld women them them- themselves that It would be ba a far happier far happier fate selves elvea to have a homo home of their own In which their In law In who dont don't want them DOROTHY DIX r EAn DOROTHY I DIX DIX I am 16 years old and I am In love Iove with witha DEAR a boy That Is la I am In love lore with him when I 1 am not with hIm him I dont don't under underhand but mt I am not in love with him when I am with stand hand this do you 7 Answer I f certainly do Miry Mary and nd take It from me you are it Ir lovo Iove with with love Iove but you are not In love Jove with the th boy Every girl goes through this experience From the time she is 1 U 15 old oho sho begins to think about love Out of ot her dreams or tr years and and her fancies a arid and d her Imaginings and out of o the stories she reads nd the LU plays plas u and k the pictures she sho sees she weaves a beautiful and and- thal- thal wondrous garment and she tries It on every good looking good looking youth comes thaL-comes comes omes along Sometimes It seems to fit ai as if It had bun been fashioned fo fob for that particular ar one ne Very often otten she he has hal to alter altar alt r It to make mak It widen It out with quality here and do Lop off some good another quality there to make maks It ya go on an at all alt And generally genTilly the after atter a little while she ho decides that it doesn't become boy who i la wearing It eo 10 she ahe grabs It off him and folds It up lp and nd away aw y In her hope chest to wait walt for somebody else to deck out In It her ber mind Is filled with the thoughts of o love fo for or all the time But Dut has fashioned this beautiful l robe l- l that ll she A Is Jut just dying to give she he The danger to her is that she is In fn such a hurry about it t that away way to toto hand It out he wont won't walt wait for the right man to show up but the to first passerby Now my dear the real test teat t tt of love Iove If It not Mt a absence ac lenCe enee but to love Iove anybody who is l far faraway faraway propinquity It Is II easy enough and whom you can Invest with all the Imaginary charms away and nd virtues of a i hero of romance but It la II I a different rent matter and cannot help elp but when you ice icea ie a person every day nerve and have perceive all his faults fault and blemishes your rasped by his Irritating little ways and mannerisms m matrimony mony Is that It has haa to be lived at with You see the trouble unshaven and hit i have bave got t to see close one range with a man whom you 1 0 well enough to him cross oss and tired and grumpy and unless you love then you are not in III love love vs him even en that way until you feel In love lovs with any man Dont Don't think you ou are ar that you would never let him get any farther away from you It IL could help than the length of your apron string If DOROTHY you DIX which we lie have han a alot f aJ Is II question over aver Here a DOROTHY Here DIX DIX EAR BAR T bis his Seventeen use Mr should lot of oL trouble at home How often otten U t your We have hae agreed hat parents car U if he keeps keeps- good company SEVENTEEN your decision session Is to be bo final Answer two should be allowed to have the car I I think that you nights a week the freIght and bu buys the theis who pays the gentleman You know must give gin your most of the time Ume so you the car gas is has bas a right to use family their Innings But every of the titer and the other members and It t keeps Wm helm boy likes o have the use of a car nowadays pleasure land con have that pleasure ned d and contented at home to parents parent Dont Don't abuse abuse you your with But play fair son your father wouldn wouldn't privilege Dont Don't take the car ear anywhere L In la It your whom you wouldn't ii t tuk ride girl to uk It Dont Don't any take too far or uk ask sk If your your sister were along and dont don't ride too fast twice a week and that tha I hope your qui father tather will let y you use i the car arguments on the sub sub- subject having ving agreed to do so there will be no more are going or when you a and that nobody will ask you ou where you Jou are o coming back comes with Ith i II doubt double The I rw privilege that Is II ac accorded enough freely sports ap rt to ply play fair grace And most mOlt boy boys bOll are good them with with a father who deal deals deall generously DOROTHY DL DIX 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