I've been reading Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer, which won the Newbery Medal in 1937. Once I finish it I'll write more about it over on The Newbery Project.
The illustrations in the book are wonderful, as you can see.
But I came across something while reading it the other day that totally reminded me of my mother. Lucinda's mother is leaving on an extended trip and this is how the scene is described:
Lucinda's mother flung after them the advice she thought was most important: "Don't forget Sundays--church or Sunday School--I don't care which you choose. Be mama's good little girl and try not to have tantrums. Write often in your diary, Oh, yes, and don't forget to put on your underdrawers by the last of October."
It made me smile, because for my whole life, my mother has said the same thing to me when leaving the house: "Be sweet and remember your manners." And if I was going to be gone overnight, the advice became, "Be sweet and remember your manners. And don't forget to put on clean underwear!"
I realize I don't have something that I say to the girls when they leave the house. If they're going to school, I usually tell them that I love them and to have a great day, but I'm thinking I may need to start carrying on mom's tradition. And I think "Be sweet and remember your manners" is pretty good advice.
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