Show Kathleen Norris Says The Stepmother Problem Still E Hell Bell Service spa cad ii w a g e A I ti ci tic c J JI Y t ts tv s v 4 41 1 w wD D t t I Sao t o m b A r Wk 4 y D Dana ana s mother lets leu her do anything she likes les go out with boys use make makeup up drank dranka a cocktail now and then and smoke The girl buys t rt clothes and wastes the allowance her grandmother gives her By KATHLEEN NORRIS NORRISON N THESE days of easy w- w divorces di divorces ON IN I when so many otherwise sensible men and women are convinced that the kindest thing which can be done for ch children dren is to break up homes and substitute substitute tute strangers for Daddy and Mummy there is a heavy crop of stepmothers i iThe The stepmother used to come into the picture only when the mother died wed The motherless or fatherless child m in those days was always heartily pitied bed The term cruel stepmother was pro proverbial To say stepmother at alL was almost to say un- un unjust unJust un unjust just just Well Well that is changed no now thank God The 1 I tile the writhing hands of Fast Reader classes are not struck With rulers in school babies mouths are not washed out with yellow soap boys are not flogged Hogged thrashed caned the rod and the whip are not terms used m in general on onI The Problem Still ShIl Exists I there t ta ta ta But that doesn t mean isn a stepmother problem and Aimee a 24 4 year old Virgin a wife writes me of ol hers Lloyd and I fell teU m in love with each other while I was working m hIs office she writes He is 19 years older than I am In every way he seems to me today only more won wonderful than he used to seem m those old days handsome devoted clev clever clever clever er popular and able to give me the beautiful home of ot which all g ris dream Lloyd s wife and he had been apart for months before he asked her for tor a divorce She is a avery avery avery very rich woman tra tra els els from Palm Beach to Coronado from Hawaii to Newport he had had no home life and no affect on from her for tor years She did not object to the divorce and agreed that Diana their daugh daughter daughter daughter ter should be with us in the school months and go to her mother in the summer However Sally s travels and visits have been such that she has had Diana only for tor seven weeks out of the 15 months we have been married This delights Lloyd who adores his daughter Di Da is now 14 a poor scholar but a very hand handsome handsome handsome some developed girl precocious m her tastes Her mother lets her do anything she likes go about with boys use make mak up drink a cocktail now and then then smoke She buys extravagant extravagant extravagant gant and unsuitable clothes and wastes the allowance her mother s smother smother smother mother gives her When she is With us of course D ana expects to do dothe dothe dothe the same I know she 1 1 es to her father I know she he is going to get herself into trouble but I am help help- helpless helpless helpless less Lloyd merely asks me to give the k d a break and D ana glares at me Her other grandmother wants her and Lloyd would con consent consent consent sent to this arrangement because he lunches downtown every day in hIS mother s apartment but what sort of a I 1 fe fc would that be for tor a g rl that age A sophist v bridge flay ng woman who is 68 66 and looks about 50 a da di ly Iy governess or companion to take Di Da about and help her with lessons no control at all alland alland alland and the feel feci eel ng that she has tri tn triumphed over her father and me and SPOILED DARLING From the depths of her frightened and aching heart this thu stepmother cries out to toMus Miss Mus Norris for aidIn aid in solving a problem only too common In this thu modern world Marry MarryIng Marrying Marrying Ing Inga a man nearly a score of years ears her senior semor she confidently confidently confidently dently undertook to In his hu daughters daughter's affections to complete a happy triangle The daughter at 14 years ears de developed developed developed beyond her years beautiful and with money flowing to her liberally takes the natural patho path o of f youth with all those advantages Parties cocktails and make up become almost daily dally diversions for tIlls this young oung girl She flirts with romantic dangers while her stepmother looks on helpless helplessly l 1 The husband senses du des discord cord and their relations be become become become come strained Kathleen hathleen No No Norris ris absorbs the details of the situation and answers the troubled trou troubled troubled bled wife lufe in a manner most surprising probably probable to the wife and great Interest to readers having a similar problem escaped from home influences This is far from what I planned when first I thought of marrying Lloyd and making a harmonious happy home for him and his little girl Relationship Strained It seems to me now that we are arean all an In a mess and for the first time I feel a nervous and crt critical cal ele element element element ment in the relationship between my husband and myself Diana was a quiet sweet shy little girl when first I met her Can you Jou sup supply supply supply ply me with some argument that will convince him that I am the best person to handle his child and that eventually we can work it out here But my dear Aimee I am obi ged to say m in reply I am ant far from con convinced vinced you are the best person to handle the on even if you had decent material with which to deal which you obviously have not Diana Di Diana DIana ana is ev dently a 11 girl who grew too rapidly from childhood into ma maturity maturity She ought to have a smooth running home at this time and the affectionate not to press tod-press press ng help and and p of both father and mother Instead she finds an attractive new wife absorbing her father s love and her mother wander ng about from place to place to find amusement for herself quite un unconcerned unconcerned unconcerned concerned as to the welfare of her child The two grandmothers and the aunts and uncles are doing the r share to demoralize her and the fact that there is enough money on all sides to make constant ments and changes possible adds the last element to her mental and moral upset My advice would be betor for you to discipline yourself stern sternly sternly sternly ly to keep hands off oft If It she will go to the worldly grandmother let her go goby goby goby by all means She won t like it there the company of an old person is m in infinitely finitely bor ng to a g rl that age she won t 11 I 1 ke the clothes her grand moth er suggests nor the amuse amusements amusements amusements ments nor the constant tiresome tive talk of an old lady Keep friendly with all and welcome we wel welcome come Diana when she drops in |