Rearing A Son And Heir

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 99, 29 April 1939, Page 5 (Supplement)

Rearing A Son And Heir

for Women

name, such as Tom, but your wife prefers something that sounds important Yo ° s """" h ° th •» Tn due course Harrington will be old ojioujih to attend school. If he a e ts to »'* top of the class hi. mothef w, nd'if £ " HSe he <IGV ° ] °P S hrai " f 1 1 * rp ma.n« at the bottom it will Toll on fh ° r K Bhe l,OJrins to tackle ( "' h .l« , t of your own siholastic achievements. How many prizes did vou win?" she «*ks, an ominoiift challenge in her eyes. proudVv' ! . r " ,>ly P ror "Ptly and proudh. Ihree times, my dear, I rose to the occasion. ' "Were the prizes books or medals?" like thTtT "° he WO "' d aSk * I" e9tio " "Medals," you reply somewhat meekly.

PERHAPS you are a married man. If so, and you do not alreadV possess a son and heir, the chances are that sooner or later you will long for one, if only for the purpose of saving the family name from extinction. Should your name be Smith, then you will want the child for other reasons. AMumirifr the wish m gratified, y olir trouble* begin as soon as the youngster it a 'lev* old. "Isn't hp like hi* father!" your wife remark# to her mother.

By T.H.T.

The Trials And Problems Of Parents

"Exactly! Which simply mewis that you could merely run a little faster than the other boys. - ' Xo, my dear, lmt I could jump much higher. You will recollect I said 'rose to the occasion.'" Further arguments develop when it coincs to discussing the hoy's future. \ ollr ambitious wife naturally wants him to be a doctor or a barrister, whereas you. with an eye to economy, try to think of sonic nice, gentlemanly profession that will not call for the expenditure of your entire overdraft in preliminary fees. °u ' l!^ vc heard that a good way of determining a. boy's future is to watch' him at play. If. for example, he talks a lot and does little else, then a Parliamentary career at once suggests itself. If he is destructive, and tTirov/s his toys from one side of the room to the other, then you can visualise him

•Very." (hp In (tor replies, "b n f, don't Ijt it worry you, my dear. He may grow out of it." PifforPTK'Pfi of opinion arise whpn the christrninz timp approachps. Vou arp all in fin our of one plain and simple

has arrived when he should contribute towards his keep. Like a. good mm. he at once falls in with the idea, and i lw in fully hands over each week aboofr enough to keep him in tooth paste. He becomes engaged, and m experience many heart pangs at the thought of losing him. Yon have previously undergone the ordeal of meeting the girl's parents, and spent hours alone with your wife discussing the family. Is the boy marrying below his position, and is the girl good enough for him? Of course he is and of course she isn't! At last the wedding day dawns. You reach the church early, and find that the bride is already there in the charge of her triumphant parents. There ar« also the usual number of morbid sightseers about, eagerly waiting to witness the sacrifice. While the wedding service is in progross, your wife quietly sobs. The bride's mother tries to do likewise, while her father keeps one eye on the bridesmaids. The latter, four attractive and well-built young ladies, are there read to pounce upon the bridegroom should he make a last-mimite attempt to escape. The hands of time move on. In another few years you find yourself nursing a small boy who wants to know what you are growing whiskers for. Are you intending to stuff a mattress or make a rug? He calls you "Grandfather," which indicates that Barrington himself is now well in the : cart!

■working in the luggage department of the railways. You mention the system to your wife •nd she at once becomes interested. You both study Barrington at some length, and find that he is more interested in his toy ducks than in anything else. He plays with them every day, and when he breaks one he endeavours to mend it. He is also extremely fond of horses. Instead of being helpful however, you find the position somewhat embarrassing, for you are quite unable to make up your minds as to whether the child is likely to be a poultry farmer and horse breeder, or a quack doctor and tipster. The years roll on. He gets a job, possibly as a junior clerk. In less than three months he will load vou to understand that he has already forgotten more about the work than his boss ever knew. If you try to mend the wireless he will look down upon you with pity, leave you at it for half-an hour, and then do the job himself in a couple of minutes, to the evident delight of his proud mother. A few more years pass, and then one day you tactfully suggest that the time