Everyday Doings At Home

Dad's squirrels don't behave. They act like they own the joint. They let their pants hang low showing their boxers. Backward caps, tattoos, iPods, skateboards--you've heard it all before. Socrates complained about "today's youth". Everybody before and since had the same complaints. That's why we read "Zits" in the comics, and watch the squirrels rob our birdfeeders with a mix of admiration and aggravation. Otherwise, we'd all be swearing and suffering high blood pressure.

One educator recognized the similarity between children and squirrels and used it to create a courtesy textbook. Emma Serl got Bobbie Squirrel and Bettie Squirrel shaped up so that you could dress them up AND take them out. Silver Burdett published her reader in 1926 with classic illustrations by Harry E. Wood.

I've always known my own spinster school teacher Great Aunt Em gave me a copy of Everyday Doings At Home on a day when she found my manners seriously lagging behind my reading ability. The book was over forty years old then, and already decaying. The onus was clearly on me to practice manners that enhanced gatherings with adults. Keeping her copy of the book was a reminder of my childhood responsibility to strive toward becoming ever more acceptable and mindful in adult situations.

Mother Squirrel and Father Squirrel put concerted effort into teaching manners to their offspring so that they could enjoy them and be proud of them even in the company of Mrs. Bushy Tail and Mrs. Frisky. Those ladies knew which end of the hat pin was sharp! As a parent I was less strict with my own little squirrels, but I always knew Mrs. Bushy Tail and Mrs. Frisky were keeping tabs on my efforts. I still believe it is the most efficient and satisfactory duty of parents to train their children to behave in society rather than to train society to ignore the ugly behavior of their children.











© 2007 Nancy L. Ruder