RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30095, 1 April 1963, Page 25

RANDOM REMINDER

EIGHTH AGE

Shakespeare believed there were seven ages of man. but nowadays there are many sub-sections—-and every mother believes that the subdivision of the sub-section through which her offspring is passing is the worst. The new mother ■will say that the first month, getting into the routine and waking at night, is the worst period. Another will say that teething at six months is the most trying time while a third wfll claim the crisis comes when baby starts to crawl The toddler’s mother recounts the near disasters when hers started to toddle. But all that terrible questioning, sighs another; and yet another says the worst wrench is when they start school. School says an older one, oh, the

expense. Wait till they start high school replies another. But says the more matronly, your troubles don’t start really till they’re adolescent—you just wait. This column. having them at all stages, plumps for that indeterminate age between the infant school and what the organisation jnen have classified as the lower sub-teens—the eight and nine-year-old. He. and she. has a ready answer, but not the right one to every request, a scorn for discipline and no regard for authority. Both sexes are usually dirty, untidy and unkempt and always lazy, unwilling and uncooperative. Yet with occasional flashes of intelligence they can master any parent. So it was with a

Papanui . couple who asked, ordered. demanded and pleaded for some order in the chaos of their eight-year-old's bedroom. She, having exhausted the gamuts of delay and prevarication finally chose tears as the best ploy ip situation and angrily; began to throw her scattered clothes into her school case. There was a ready answer when she was asked what she was doing—she was packing her clothes ready to leave this inhospitable roof for ever. And when the softie parents showed signs of relenting, she too began to dry her tears and tip the clothes out. “All right. I’ll stay,” she announced bravely, “but let this learn you your lesson,”