Show Kathleen Norris Says Dont Don't Blame the Children Bell Dell Syndicate Features v di 5 Y I I With only a baby at home peace would descend like a garment arment and weekends I with the of seeing the children would take on a new delight prospect By KATHLEEN NORRIS I ANCY MILLER l is a Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- NANCY N cago woman who lives in ina ina ina a six-room six flat Her husband husband hus hus- husband band is devoted and makes good goodmoney goodmoney goodmoney money but he works hard comes home tired and lately has grown strangely nervous and cross The trouble is the children have two and a boy we girls writes Nancy U Ann nn is eleven Billy nine and Gloria five Ill I'll admit Im I'm a bad manager a atoo atoo atoo too indulgent or too exacting mother Ill I'll admit that they're not well-disciplined well children Ill I'll admit admit admit ad ad- mit anything But as things arenow arenow are arenow now were we're all going crazy and even if weve we've made mistakes all round even if weve we've been very stupid there must be some more sensible way to manage things than the way were we're going Ann and Billy quarrel constantly constantly constantly con con- and Gloria lives in a state of whining and tears I William Villiam and I adore our children We were mighty proud when our beautiful girl baby was joined by a small brother and Gloria we regard regard regard re re- re- re gard as a fitting crown to a lovely family For the first eight years of our married life we lived in the suburbs suburbs suburbs sub sub- and I felt that my children were as fine in manners and deportment deportment deportment de de- de- de as any other dren But now Will Vill must be near his work his hours are irregular so we traded homes with my mother and moved into town And since then everything has been going steadily downhill Ann and Billy just recently have become rude They pretend not to hear my requests and suggestions they resent being asked to help me and do whatever I ask slowly and ungraciously All our joy and pride in them is gone it is scold scold scold and hush hush hush all day and well into the night Home in Uproar H t. t t nas mis apartment rent free because she acts as manager manager manager man man- ager of the house There are 70 apartments her job for which she also receives a salary is not ous It is merely a matter of seeing new tenants of which there will be benone benone benone none for the place is filled approving approving approving ing bills and paying the janitor staff once a month I have taken over this work to insure my mother her lher income and that with the household work and wartime marketing keeps me busy I need rest and quiet as much as my husband does But we live in bedlam and for the first time William in speaking of childless childless childless child child- less couples said to me thoughtfully the other night perhaps they were lucky It breaks my heart not to be able to 10 rejoice in my reel sure of my influence over them and their affection for their father and me But they are getting entirely out-of- out hand Do you know any cure any type of modern school psychiatrist system that will reach their stubborn stubborn stubborn stub stub- born little souls and give us back the delight that parents ought to have My dear Nancy let me say in reply reply reply re re- re- re ply that you dont don't need psychiatry or any other means of cure when you are attempting the impossible I And impossible it is for fox two adults i and rind three small children to fn live ii- ii in I p u. u I six rooms with comfort for all concerned concerned concerned con con- conI I or even with reasonable dignity dignity dignity dig dig- and privacy Racket and noise and restlessness are inseparable from childhood children need space and air room for all their activities and projects That all parents CANNOT give their children these advantages is one of the faults of civilization one civilization one of the faults that I hope we will cure inthe in inthe inthe the newer wiser world that is com com- CHILDREN NEED WIDE rf OPEN SPACES Roaring trains rushing taxicabs taxicabs taxicabs taxi- taxi cabs clanging street cars dusty smoke laden man manufacturing districts dis dis- all all these artificial manmade manmade manmade man man- made elements clements of the city city are are unnatural and foreign to the healthy development of children They need made God-made trees hills prairies fresh clean air and bright sunshine during their formative I years In this environment environment environment environ environ- ment they find the beauty of nature nature na no- ture and many healthy normal exits for their excess energy This is Kathleen Norris' Norris message to a woman whose three children arc are getting out of hand since they have moved into a city apart apart- m ment en t. t ing But until it comes mothers might just as well face the truth Fathers possibly never will They are less with the children they have less authority Shortcomings of Apartment Life LiCe But mothers are smart enough to realize that three children penned in a few rooms restrained for 24 hours out of the 24 without a backyard backyard back back- backyard yard a windmill a few fences to climb an empty meadow available will be unmanageable pretty much all of the time and will get into crises of serious trouble whenever they can Boys break windows and climb into parked cars throw rocks and pick up swear words snarl and whine unless they are fed a constant constant constant con con- stant diet of funnies and movies Girls grow lazy and saucy disappear disappear disappear pear after school and dont don't come home until just before dinner and later on at a surprisingly early age jeopardize their later years by reckless reckless reckless reck reck- less experimenting with night clubs motor trips overnight stays and lovemaking Small girls of 12 and 14 are sometimes involved in these adventures and a police matron describing describing describing de de- de- de scribing them to me told me that almost always a crowded cramped noisy home was a part of the cx- cx plana ti n. n But about your own case Nancy Couldn't you board these children or at least the two older ones with your mother in the old environment With only the baby at home peace I would descend like a garment and week-ends week would take on a new delight delight delight de de- de- de light with the prospect of seeing the children These are war times nothing is normal dont don't try to run your affairs without taking into consideration consideration consideration con con- the changed conditions the infinitely increased difficulties that attend everything we do today marketing catering transportation deliveries delayed tailor and laundry laundry laun latin dry services inexperienced saleswomen saleswomen sales sales- women in the shops i. i incomplete stock of everything Make a compromise and send Ann and Billy to their grandmother Once back again with room to spread out physically and mentally they will wil become their old selves selve nor nor- I i I mally well-behaved well American chil ChuI dren Mother Alone Responsible And you other city mothers whose growing boys and girls are becom becom- ing ng increasingly in hard to handle remember re member that if you coop children up in city rooms rob them of their right to woods and fields and roadside roadside roadside road road- side trees their right to hammering hammer hammer- ing and digging and picnicking and tramping over the countryside you have only yourself to blame if they grow unmanageable and impudent bored and unhelpful and go on OIl to more serious defects as they grow older Several women of my acquaintance acquaint acquaint- I ance have solved this particular problem by moving into the country |