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Show SUCCESSFUL PARENTHOOD By MRS. CATHERINE C. EDWARDS Associate Editor, Parent's Magazine IMPARTIALITY second time in any given situation. So the pains they took to spare the oldest boy jealous feelings may not have been exercised so scrupulously on behalf of the middle child. If it is a middle child who clamors for attention, look into the situation honestly to make sure this child isn't paying unhappily un-happily for his inconspicuous place in the family birth sequence. Which reminds me of a verse: "If John can always get his way. Because he's nearly nine, And Peter 'cos he's only three Then how do I get mine?" ALPHA BETA TO MEET FRIDAY A meeting of the Alpha Beta club will be held at the home of Mrs. William Witney on Friday, November 15, at 3 p. m. The subject, "Women la Social Work," will be discussed by Mrs. G. L. Barron. All members are requested re-quested to be present. CARD OF THANKS We wish to express our sincere thanks for the kindness and sympathy sym-pathy shown us during the death of our son, Glen, whether expressed ex-pressed by floral offerings or the many acts of kindness. William Whitehead and Family. CARD OF THANKS We wish to express our appreciation appre-ciation and thanks for the sympathy sym-pathy and kindness shown us during dur-ing our recent bereavement, whether whe-ther expressed by acts of kindness or the floral offerings. Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Maag, and Family. I How many times the middle child in a family appears to be the "forgotten" child. I recently had a letter from a mother asking how she could cure her little girl of jealousy. At eight months of age, so the mother wrote, this child had tried to push her two-year-old brother off the father's lap. And now, at six years she is still very jealous of this older brother bro-ther and also of her four-year-old sister. The mother adds that both she and her husband have been very careful not to show partiality partial-ity to any of the children. Now I wonder if these parents may not have "bent over backwards," back-wards," as the saying goes, in their efforts to treat all their children alike. Take the incident when this youngster objected to sharing her father's lap with her brother. Possibly the father, wanting want-ing to be impartial, made a rule of holding both children on his lap at the same time. He had no doubt been warned against petting the baby in front of the older child, so he protected the two-year-old boy from jealous feelings by giving giv-ing him the same kind of attention that he gave his baby sister. But it would have been better had father held the cuddly baby in a protecting arm, while he watched his son at play. Especially since the boy would rather have been beating a drum and having his father admire the wonderful noise he was making. In this way both children would have been receiving receiv-ing the father's attention in equal amounts! but in the way which their particular natures required at the moment. Naturally, the squirming older one disturbed the comfort of the baby, so in the self-centered way that babies have, she tried to push him off. This, as the mother's letter let-ter says, alarmed the parents and no doubt they redoubled their efforts ef-forts to treat the children alike. The result may have been that this little girl never really had her turn at being the baby! For before long another youngster was added to the family and her chance to hold the center of the stage was gone. Moreover, by then the parents' efforts may have relaxed a little they are rarely as strict the CECELIA MAYCOCK HONORED ON BIRTHDAY Miss Cecelia Maycock entertained entertain-ed a group of friends at her home Saturday night on the occasion of her birthday. A variety of games were played and luncheon was served, with the girls later presenting Miss May-cock May-cock with a lovely gift. Present were Louise Clyde, Helen Christensen, Wilna Brown. Luella Huntington, Lucille Oakley, Oak-ley, and Marjorie Simkins. |