working
mother
JO
99
(Continued)
just as upset after six months as he did the
first day not every morning, but often
enough to show that he still didn't accept
the .situation happily.
The times Glen didn't make a fuss were
almost as bad as when he did. Then he'd
assume a cool adult air of ignoring us,
ignoring what we did and said. That atti
tude often carried over the week end.
Every Saturday Glen became hard to
'manage. I tried to make up for the week's
absence by devoting as much time to him
as possible between household chores. He
in turn would stick doggedly at my side,
refusing to eat his lunch, hating to take a
nap for fear he'd wake up and find me
gone, balking at every request.
On Sunday, a miraculous change took
place. There were no objections to nap
time, Glen would eat without a murmur,
he smiled and "talked" and was as agree
able as he'd been disagreeable the day be
fore. In short, he seemed to be rebelling
against the week's absence on Saturday,
but felt things were back to normal by
Sunday. Monday the cycle began again.
Tt might be argued that Glen would
have been happier in a nursery with
children his own age. We tried that, too.
When our regular baby sitter's husband
took sick, she had to stay home, so we
made arrangements to leave Glen with a
neighbor who had three children all close
to his age. They had a fenced yard with
playthings and the mother's older sister
was staying at the house to help out
It seemed like a fine arrangement, even
though it meant taking Glen away from
home. Glen took to his new friends im
mediately, and they all played well to
. gether. However, he was still upset when
we left him, and clung to me when I
picked him up at night.
Even now, 10 months later, he loves
going to play with those children; but if
he thinks I'm going to leave him there, he
starts to cry. How can I doubt that he
preferred his own home, when he still
recalls those days with such misgiving?
All the time I worked, I suffered a
feeling of guilt about Glen. This was at its
worst when he took sick. No mother can
do justice to a job when her child is ill
not if she wants to do justice to the child.
There were also the problems which
should never have arisen, such as his
slowness in toilet training and the trouble
we had with his eating habits. Rebellions
which started when he was suffering the
confusion of being left every day carried
over even after I had quit my job.
It was a great relief when I finally de
cided to stop being a secretary and start
being a mother again, this time with the
determination that nothing short of catas
trophe would get me back behind a desk!
Now that I'm with Glen every day, I
can see how much of his growing I missed,
how many "firsts" there were in his young
life that are forever lost to me. There are
so many milestones a child reaches only
once the first intelligible sentence, the
look of triumph over mastering a new
skill, the first awareness of music, the de
light at learning new words and sharing
new experiences, the wonder at seeing and
becoming acquainted with animals.
It seems a shame to bring children into
the world and then let someone else raise
them, causing you to miss the most pre
cious years of their lives! How many
mothers of grown children live to lament:
"If I had it to do over again, I'd never
work while he was young"?
How many working mothers have chil
dren who are ill-behaved or just plain
bewildered?
What will these children remember best
when they are grown the extra things
mother was able to buy with the money
she earned, or the hours they spent alone,
without the companionship and guidance
of the person who means most to them?
"VITe haywahds are a happy family now.
I'll never know how many precious
minutes with Glen I missed, or how much
my absence affected him, but I'm looking
forward to the next few years. I know
there will be discouragements, the bills
will pile up, and the housework will get
monotonous, but I'll have the satisfaction
of being with my son, of knowing that
he'll get the best start in life that I'm
capable of giving him!
I'll be there when he ties his own shoe
laces, when he discovers the pleasure of
paper and crayons, when he builds his first
. model airplane. I'll be there to comfort
him when he falls and skins his knee,
when he climbs his first tree, when he
reads his first words out of a book.
I may not be able to buy him the most
expensive toys, the biggest wardrobe, or
the shiniest bicycle, but he will have a
home where he can feel secure, the com
panionship of unhurried meals, and a
sympathetic ear whenever he needs it.
When I see children being hustled off to
nurseries in the dark hours of the morn
ing, I'll know that, God granting us all
good health, my son need never know that
unhappiness again!
Family Wccklu. April t, 1957 9
mIM X
riifi mr
ATHI FTF'Q mm
ww i
Wit Mf M tkt tir-
Ii i am. fiS
ISIS? "'""
'fectloe ender tkt
iVHf ' m
Fr,m,M mm i?
nvipi Bff.
t rtlnfietianl
f.""' No -
wr how severe your
case, won
. guaran
tor relief or your
vW will refund
your money.
Natfcbii
AtWt'iF.tike
HP-27;
DO YOU
TAKE LAXATIVES
TOO OFTEN?
Why risk constant dosage of harsh
laxatives? When constipated, Ret
help toward your normal regular
ity overnight in the gentle way
nature wants.
Take safe-acting Ex-Lax, as
directed, at night. It won't dis
turb sleep. Next morning, enjoy
the closest thing to natural ac
tion. Gentle Ex-Lax continues to
help you toward your normal reg
ularity. Seldom, if ever, is it
needed next day. Get the modern
laxative more families use...
chocolated Ex-Lax.
Big Mail Order Profits
rtm IMPORTS
? Men, women, coast to
nut making money
now on email imnorta
with plan baicd on our
wyra. experience, we
how yoa how to Im
port at barg-e-tn price
for friend , Htorea and
MAIL ORnKH ltwt
how tojrrt free mailorder adi. We yen name
of foreign tupptitr who nhlp direct, so no utoeka
to carry. WriteforrRKEBOOK. Alrmallreacheaus
overnight. Mel linger Co.. Import 'Export,
Itept. GUY. 1717 Weal wood. Lot Angeles li, Calif.
3 Mtt i
1 mm
1000 PERSONAL 11
A00KESS LABELS I
1 to 4 lines printed
In black: told bor
der. In pads. PLAS
TIC BOX INCL. For
envelopes, checks,
books, tools, records.
toys. 1000 lor $1 ppd. Any 5 orders, J4.
Guaranteed. Prompt delivery. Write Bruce
Bolind, 428 Bolind Bldg., Montrose 77, Calif.
SOLUTION TO STATE
OF THE UNION PUZZLE
v 0iykw. oe
I 1 vJT l1a1ndI"1u'
I A t ft O 2j B
b tl o h Tq IsIt a a
1 ujj a t cl lis
I mIJnoI Id oqk1
n TfiT c k 1 1 t 1 1 rlH i Tt
BY
FERDER
I Hi
fJLJlb.
Goes So Much
Further with a
FERBER
. vu-riter pen
Patented "finger-fit" shape. Trans
parent barrel holds big visible supply
of permanent, quick-drying ink. Writes
rings around pens costing dollars more.
F-a-n to rv pencil a. t1
Writes with real 'flowing pencil lead.
Never needs sharpening. Patented
"finger-fit" shape. Writes clean, clear
lines for miles and miles.
mooucrs or rcescn coup., rNOLCwooo, n. j.
IIQHT1V HiaHI. Ill CANADA
V