Mundane Musings Old Fashioned Homes

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 114, 4 August 1927, Page 5

Mundane Musings Old Fashioned Homes

The home is the centre of civilisation. It represents—or ought to represent—security for wife and husband and care for the children. It very often does. But a change manifests itself when the children are growing up. Boys and girls are not anxious about being cared for. What they want is freedom. Sensible parents allow them to run out a bit, with only a reasonable scolding when they return late for meals or bed. The young girl becomes a young woman with her late 'teens, and the boy changes into something like a man; he acquires a hoarse voice and an awkward manner. That clumsy male hobbledehoy has only a few battles to fight with his stern father and tearful mother over,his first cigarette, his first intoxicating drink (or two!) his first late night, or so. Both parents agree that “boys will be boys.” Father is secretly rather pleased that the “young whelp” is

showing some manliness. The daughter of the house—of many houses —is more jealously guarded and restrained. “Jealous” is . the exact word. Under the pretence of a fond maternalism many mothers do believe in hampering their daughters’ freedom in every possible respect, and they are backed up by the gruff assent of their husbands. The daughter in the home is the worst sufferer from jealous care. If she is at business, she has a good many hours of escape from over-strict supervision, as also that gentle nagging about domestic work undone, which can be so terribly irritating even to quite docile and industrious girls. The selfish type of mother will also endeavour to keep the wage-earning girl in a state of continued dependence, as she will strive to make the wage-earning boy remain attached to her apron-strings. The unreasonable kind of father will protest against the-atre-going, parties, dances and everything that may unsettle his routine. The boy does get his latchkey; the girl has some time to wait for it. The pleasures of both are viewed askance. Both father and mother will say, with utter, and unconscious, untruthfulness, that when they were young their home was good enough for them without any gadding about. If the children are sensible they will laugh quietly over the old story. If they are sensitive they will feel remorseful every night they come home late, and uncomfortable when the parents look stern and sad at breakfast. Many readers of this article will say: “What nonsense; there are no homes like that nowadays.” Alas! the selfish instinct for restraint is part of human nature. Middle age wants to be comfortable; so it resents the excursions of the young. Middle age demands constant affection and constant sacrifice. Middle age cannot understand that the great virtue of the home is a good place to come back to. The home can become almost a hell for grown-up sons and daughters, who are expected to pay homage to its high-priests, fathers and mothers, uncles and aunts. The Chinese believe in having four generations of a family living in the same house. It is doubtful whether two of our generations should. The solution for the difficulties of the home is to let the young people escape from it. DANCE AT TE AWAMUTU A most enjoyable dance took place in the Parish Hall, Te Awamutu, on Friday under the auspices of St. John’s Girls’ Club. The object of the dance was to raise funds for a special benefit fund, and the result was highly successful. Mr. Lawton and his orchestra provided the music free. During the evening a presentation was made by Miss Focke on behalf of the club to the Rev. Selwyn Burrow, who has left Te Awamutu to take up his residence at Cambridge. When making a suet crust for baked-apple dumplings, mix with scalding water instead of cold, and a lovely light crust will !>«•■ Luc result.