Show i Kathleen en Norris Says T The Stepmother Problem em Still ti Exists Bell Syndicate Service i JI f f 1 i la V 1 a aF 7 I F 1 1 a t 1 i 1 Dianas Diana's mother lets her do anything she likes go out with boys use make tip drink a cocktail now and then and smoke The girl buys bus extravagant cloths clothes and wastes the allowance her grandmother gives her By KATHLEEN NORRIS N THESE days of easy divorces divorces di di- divorces IN when so many otherwise otherwise otherwise other other- wise sensible men and women are convinced that the kindest thing which can be done for children is to break up homes and substitute strangers for Daddy and Mummy there is a heavy crop of stepmothers The stepmother used to come into the picture only when the mother died The motherless or fatherless child in those days was vas always heartily pitied The term cruel stepmother was proverbial To say stepmother er at all was almost to say unjust Well that is changed now thank God The little writhing hands of First Reader classes are not struck with rulers in school babies' babies mouths are not washed but ut with yellow soap boys are not flogged thrashed caned the rod and the whip are not terms used in general conversation The Problem Still Exists But that doesn't mean there isn't a stepmother problem and Aimee a year old Virginia wife writes me of hers Lloyd and I 1 fell in love with each I other while I 1 was working in his office she writes He is 19 years older than I am In every way he seems to me today only more wonderful wonderful wonderful won won- than he used to seem in those old days handsome devoted clever clev- clev er popular and able to give me the beautiful home of which all girls dream Lloyds wife and he had been I living apart for months before he I asked her for a divorce She is a avery avery very rich woman travels from Palm s Beach to Coronado from Hawaii to Newport he had had no home life and no affection from her for years a She did not object to the divorce fi and agreed that Diana their daughter daughter daugh- daugh ter iter should be with us in the school months and go to her mother in the summer However Sallys Sally's travels a and nd visits have been such th that t she has had Diana only for seven weeks out of the 15 months we have been married This delights Lloyd who adores his daughter Di is now 14 a a poor scholar but a very hand- hand isome isome developed girl precocious in her er tastes Her mother lets her do anything she likes go about with boys use up make-up drink a cocktail now and then smoke She buys Nuys extravagant extravagant extravagant gant and unsuitable clothes and wastes the allowance her mothers mother's mother gives her When she is with us of course Diana expects to do dothe dothe dothe the same I 1 know she lies to her father I know she is going to get herself into trouble but I am help help- less I Lloyd merely asks me to give the kid a break and Diana glares at me Her other grandmother I wants her and Lloyd would consent consent consent con con- sent to this arrangement because h he e lunches downtown every day in hi his s mothers mother's apartment but what sor sort t I of a life would that be for a girl I that age A sophisticated worldly playing bridge-playing woman who is 68 SS an and d looks about 50 a daily governess o ob or r b companion to take Di about and hel help p her with lessons no control at all alland d and the feeling that she has triumphed triumphed triumphed tri tri- over her father and me an and d escaped from home influences SPOILED DARLING From the depths of her frightened frightened frightened fright fright- ened and aching heart this stepmother stepmother stepmother step step- mother cries out to Miss lUiss Norris f for or aid in solving a problem only too common in in this modern world Marrying a man nearly a score o of f years jears her senior she size confidently confidently confidently con con- undertook to squeeze in his daughters daughter's affections to complete complete com com- a happy triangle The daughter at 14 years ears developed beyond her years beautiful and with money flowing to her liberally liber liber- liberally all ally takes the natural path o of f youth with all those advantages Parties cocktails and make up become almost daily diversions for this young joung girl She Size flirts with romantic dangers while leer her stepmother looks on helplessly The husband senses discord and their relations become strained Kathleen Norris absorbs the details details details de de- tails o of f the situation and answers the troubled wife in a manner most surprising probably to the wife and with great interest to readers having a similar probe lem 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 I 1 began by showing Di nothing but sisterly big-sisterly affection and sympathy sympathy sympathy sym sym- pathy I 1 invited her friends to the house tried to become her confidante confidante confidante dante and pal Relationship Strained It seems to me now that we are all in a mess and for the first time I 1 feel a nervous and critical element element element ele ele- ment in the relationship between my husband and myself Diana Dinna was a quiet sweet shy little girl when first I 1 met her Can you supply supply supply sup sup- 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 obliged to say in reply I am far from convinced convinced convinced con con- vinced you are the best person to handle the situation even if you had decent material with which to deal which you obviously have not Diana Diana Diana Di Di- ana is evidently a girl who grew too rapidly from childhood into ma ma- She ought to have a smooth- smooth running home at this time and the affectionate too pressing help and companionship of both father and mother Instead she finds an a attractive new wife absorbing her fathers father's love and her mother wandering about from place to place to find amusement for herself quite unconcerned unconcerned unconcerned un un- concerned as to the welfare of her child The two grandmothers and the aunts and uncles are doing their share to demoralize her and the fact that there is enough money on all sides to make constant experiments experiments experiments ments and changes possible adds the last element to her mental and moral upset My advice would be for you to discipline yourself sternly sternly stern stern- sternly ly to keep hands off If she will go to the worldly grandmother let her go goby goby by all means She wont won't like it there the company of an old person is in infinitely infinitely in- in finitely boring to a n girl that age she wont won't like the clothes her grandmother grandmother grand grand- mother suggests nor the amusements amusements amusements amuse amuse- ments nor the constant tiresome repetitive talk of an old lady Keep friendly with all and welcome welcome welcome wel wel- come Diana when she drops in |