Good Mothers

"A good mother is worth hundreds of schoolmasters"

George Herbert

One of my favorite books is a book by Anna Perot Rose written in the 1940's.  It is a story
about a family who cared for foster children during the 30's.  It is sweet, funny and full of old fashioned parenting wisdom.  I would love to share the whole book with you.  Here is a little excerpt just for fun.  The lesson from this little excerpt is a good reminder to us all. It is better to teach our children how to overcome obstacles and learn, than to teach them to simply hide from struggle or danger".  As mother's it is instinctive for us to protect our children from harm; it is a God given quality; but to teach our children to see past past fear is wisdom from God, one that we should all aspire to.

Enjoy an Excerpt from the classic book "Room for One More" by Anna Perot Rose

"...I discovered then the kind of person children like. A child feels helpless in this world and likes the kind of person who makes him feel able, clever and competent. He returns oftenest to that person who recharges his mental battery for him. I tried not to fail him.


We went straight home. I undressed him, took off the weight of his braces and put him into a microscopic pair of bathing trunks. All of us got into bathing suits and went gaily to the beach.


But, when I carried Jimmy John down to the edge of the water he took one look at the Atlantic Ocean and flung his arms around my neck, nearly strangling me and screeched, "Don't take me in dere! I'm skeert to deat'! Dat place's bigger'n de Y pool and de Y pool is too d*** big for me!"


I put him down safely on the sand and the rest of us went into the surf. He watched us having a good time. When I came out he called to me, "Take me in, maybe I get over bein so skeert to deat'".


I took him in, but he saw a wave coming at us. "Git me outa here! Git me outa here quick!" he screamed. "I'm skeert to deat'!"


We came out.


Pretty soon, "Take me in again. I'm skeert, but I'll go."


In and out, in and out, we went for weeks-the "ins" gradually growing longer than the "outs". J.J. grew braver and braver and by the end of the summer he could actually swim a little.


He was very proud, but very quiet about his triumph. One day, he sat on the beach watching a woman with her child.


"Junior, come back. You'll drown!" this woman would shriek.


"Junior if you get in that water, the fishes will eat you up and you won't see Mama no more!"


"You Junior, come here, the waves'll carry you way out to the middle of the ocean and the whales'll swallow you and you won't have no mama out there."


This went on for some time. At last Jimmy John spoke: " Dat woman's a bad mudder," he said with deep disapproval.


"She keeps sayin 'look out, the ocean'll drown youse!" She orta say "Git in der and swim and don't be a sissy.' Dat's what you say to me."


He was thoughtfully silent for a breath then, " You're a good mudder," said he."