| Show KA KATHLEEN NORRIS HORRIS Son Unfair to Girls p ITS IT'S ALL VERY WELL to make a L fuss about mother on mothers mother's day writes an year old girl from Atlanta but mothers can make pretty bad mistakes just like anyone else and Id I'd like to know what you think of ot my mother Mother is a widow aged 49 She has las a small Income my sister and andI I work and help support the household house- house hold hold and my married sister contributes contributes con- con tributes too The problem is my brother 26 years old He has been Idle die lazy spoiled since he was a baby saby He Is the only boy in the entire entire entire en en- tire family He is handsome and very gay and popular always being asked to parties we dont don't rate at atall all My mother cooks for him launders ers era his shirts runs the whole house just for lor him and gives him all the money she can get He sleeps late mother gave up an excellent job at atthe atthe atthe the hospital across the street so that she could stay home and wait on Neddy She never will hear a word of criticism of him and if 11 he buys her a dollar box of candy with the money she borrows from us and gives to Wm him she makes more fuss than she ever does over anything we do Point of or Contention Mother Is very sweet and gentie gentle gentle gen gen- tle tie this girls girl's letter goes on She will always be perfectly amiable I I f 4 r l gay and popular on every subject except Ned If we criticize Ned her m shuts up and she looks into space and doesn't answer She and my brother law George haven't been speaking since Christmas because George told her herI I what he thought of ot Ned And as my sister stands by her husband we never see Beatrice whom we love dearly Bee would love us to togo togo togo go live with her but that would leave mother practically ed She would have to rent rooms or take boarders Just this week we discovered that mother has mortgaged this house which my father left to all five of us up to more than half its value What she did with the thus gained she will not say She says it was necessary We believe it is all aU spent or nearly for Ned bought a new car he says it Is a friends friend's car Just borrowed but we Ve believe belleve it is his We love our mother the letter finishes Or we did When she treats treats us fairly all our love and trust comes flowing back But this dreadful state of affairs gets worse and worse we hated It when we were little girls It lk keeps eps us nervous and resentful now If we say anything anything any any- thing mother asks us us with tears in her eyes to be nice to our only brother What can we say to her that will make her realize how Unfair unfair unfair un Un- fair fair this Is Dory Is 20 and engaged When she marries I feel teel that I 1 simply cant can't carry carryon on alone We are both teachers Adolescent Adoration Here is a case of that odd add immature immature im im- mature type of small woman who has been the cuddly darling of some man all her life Ute and must remain so There are old old women out In country homes who keep up this adolescent adoration of some male often a husband more often a son My son was my sweetheart he did everything for mama they say fatuously What the sons did was waste mamas mama's time throw throwaway throwaway throwaway away her money and contemplate with great calm mamas mama's relegation to a charity home The casual lazy affection of a worthless son Is more than enough for tor mamas mama's reward and she is willing to cripple the lives of fine girls so that the boy shall be denied nothing In this case I advise Alice Allce to divide her time from now on on between between between be be- tween her married sisters Nothing will ever change the selfish vain little woman whose mind and heart haven't developed at all since th the days of the junior prom Flattery Is the breath of her life nothing the girls can do will avail against Neds Ned's murmur that she's the sweetest sweetest sweet sweet- est mom in the world bringing his br breakfast upstairs and remembering remember remember- ing that he has to have some dough Even her scolding of him while she rumples his hair fondly takes on a 3 note of adoration So Alice Allce move over to your sisters sister's sisters sister's sisters sister's sis sis- sis sis- ter's house See what your mother I and brother can do when left to themselves Since Beatrice has two baby girls you will be more than ordinarily welcome as companion helper and occasionally sitter and you will be more apt to meet nice men there than in the collapsing walls of your old home For collapse these walls wails will with that new mortgage and that useless man pulling them down Then Ned Nedwill Nedwill Nedwill will drift away The world Is full of ot these men and they wander on on down and down |
