Smyrna Times

Let Daughter Decide Her Marriage Plans

Being the mother of an unmarried girl in her mid-twenties does things to the maternal instinct. Faced with the problem of how to make the girl happy, how to avoid for her the social stigma - real but idiotic - of spinsterhood, how to arrange for her to meet eligible males and marry her off to the first willing victim, many a mother becomes an expert in refined torture.

If you have an unmarried daughter, the first thing to decide, write Florence Howitt and Marjorie Marks in the July Good Housekeeping magazine, is whether you want to marry your daughter off or let her alone. You have a right to fight for her happiness, the authors point out, but a marriage certificate doesn't always insure it.

Remember that, and do little things that will help her along without forcing anything on her.

The authors advise against mothers scheming to create opportunities for Daughter to meet some of her friends. They also warn mother not to follow Daughter's dates too closely, waiting up to talk over what happened. Such eagerness is upsetting to the girl and is apt to make her self-conscious in the presence of her beau.

The wise mother according to the authors, will let a girl choose a man that appeals to her, and make him feel at home when he comes to visit. A mother should provide a background that adds to daughter's attractiveness, but if she prefers to remain unmarried rather than merely to escape social stigma, give her unqualified support. No one, these days, needs to condemn or pity an unmarried girl If she has built for herself with the aid of her parents an interesting, fruitful life.

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