| Show Kathleen Norris Says Picnics at Home Bell Syndicate Syndicate Features ti 1 ti l a Je Ill Since then her mother law will leill agree to anything everything that sh suggests to lighten an almost unbearable load By KATHLEEN NORRIS t Y CHILDREN are MY I I SLY six four and less JL V JL than one years of age writes Margaret Fulton Fulton Fulton Ful Ful- ton from Philadelphia We have a room nine-room house on a large lot on the outskirts of town We have big trees and big porches which seem to tome tome tome me today to say nothing but the one word sweeping My husband works hard is paid 65 a week We love each other and we adore Bill Bruce and Finn What I am asking you is how can I take care of them all and the house and the meals and the marketing and keep myself always good- good natured sweet and fresh Little Bill is in school five blocks away he cant can't be permitted to cross two arterial streets alone Ive I've got Bruce in quarantine because she was exposed to whooping cough Weve We've all had flu fiu Including William senior but light cases With no help no didy wash no granny or aunt to come in and relieve relieve re reo lieve me I am tired untidy hurried hurried hur hur- ried all the time I should do mending mending mend mend- ing at night perhaps but in the evenings I am so sleepy and exhausted ex ex- exhausted hausted I go to bed right after din din- ner nero Im I'm no company for my husband husband hus hus- band Ive I've no time for prettying myself myself myself my my- self or fixing up my wardrobe Getting Getting Get Get- ting beds made getting food on the table comforting sobbing babies making Finns Finn's formula spooning prunes into him telephoning the market there market there simply isn't any end to it Father Gets Tired Too William gets nervous and critical critical critical cal poor man he is often orten as tired as asI asI asI I am We look at our friends who have no children and wonder whether er we were fools to involve ourselves In these infinitely worrisome worrisome-if If infinitely infinitely in in- finitely precious responsibilities What am I doing or not doing that makes all this so hard Im I'm not a natural cook but I can follow rules and I try not to fuss and make unnecessary unnecessary unnecessary un un- necessary work for myself Other women must have written you of this problem what did you say to them My dear Margaret I have said to hundreds of them what I say to you that it cant can't be done Not In these days of f war not under these conditions No woman can manage three babies a large house cooking cooking cook- cook ing ng beds dusting marketing serving serving ing meals dealing with nursery illnesses illnesses ill ill- nesses washing no matter how strong and capable she Is In the theold theold theold old days there would have been a grandmother and aunts to say noth noth- ng lag of a good servant or two to help Today she has to fight on alone Do the best you can Margaret and keep first things first Keep the children In hi tough dark overalls serve most of their meals in sand sand- mug and fashion have your own meals entirely in the kitchen Dont Don't mourn niceness and daintiness daintiness daintiness ness and the way Mother had things There is nothing nice and dainty about war and these are war times Live as if you were in one of f the war torn countries yourself anxious only to keep your family to together together to to- gether warm and housed and fed Nothing more Your husband If he is a reasonably reasonably reason reason- ably intelligent man most man most husbands arent aren't but perhaps yours Is will Is-will will quickly realize the basic Importance of what you are doing raising children children chil chil- dren in these times He will see when you point it out to him that nothing else eIse matters except that we all GET THROUGH these days to better times Not what you wear not dust and disorder are important not flowers on the table and fresh little garments on the children when Dad gets home Food shelter warm beds baths and love love loveall love loveall all the way these are what matter nd And these whittled down to their essentials will keep you busy enough Eliminate Finishing Touches Cut out all nIl fancy touches all show ill beautifying for the duration real real- STREAMLINE YOUR OUR HOUSEHOLD DURING WARTIME Mothers cannot expect to run their households as smoothly as in the prewar days das when capable help was ivas easily ob- ob tair Particularly where there are several children is it necessary to keep to the vital necessities necessities food food shelter and warmth This is Kathleen Norris Norris' Norris Norris' Nor- Nor ris' ris advice to a woman with three small children a husband husband huS hus- huSband band and a room nine room nine house to take tahe care of The burden of trying tring to run this menage on a prewar standard is running her ragged These are not normal normal nor nor- mal mat times and it is impossible to live completely normally The woman is advised to live as though she and and her family were in one of the war torn countries and to consider only the basic requirements o of f ex ex- ize that you and your husband are carrying on the most important business business bustness busi bust ness in the world and weather these bad years like a ship facing a storm You'll find once you take this attitude atti tude that imaginary duties and obligations ob drop from you like autumn leaves and that every day finds you discarding some onerous task that thai youve you've always imagined HAD to be done Several young mothers In my neighborhood have simply moved downstairs for the winter and are not attempting to keep the upper rooms warm and clean The chil chit childrens children's childrens drens dren's beds are in the sitting room Mother and Dad In the study the dining room fireplace has become the center of the house and meals are In hi the kitchen A small smaIl stove keeps the bathroom upstairs warm when it is needed Just making the change one mother told me had awakened her husband to the desperate des need of the situation he accepted accepted ac ac- ac it in a sort of ot picnic spirit and she says that now he likes it This woman said her mother mother-in- law disapproved of this inn innovation ova lion But she left her law In in charge one day of the twins and the baby while she rushed off to do some shopping She says the older woman was a wreck when she returned returned re reo re- re turned six hours later the house a shambles the children dirty and roaring dinner not even started and that since then her mother law will agree to anything everything that she suggests to lighten an almost al aI most unbearable load |
