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Page 14 EMEP ACRE A » hours' ruinning | government, neighbors, or each other's fam- ie yee ttt (57 Greai = just great I think probably the most difficult relationship to main- tain, at any reasonable level, is that between teen-age children and their parents. Marriage is tough enough, as you all know. But at least the partners, in most cases, are prepared to bend a little, to give an inch, or even two if necessary, to compromise when there's no other way out. Married people do communi- cate, even though the form . ranges from grunts and sighs _ to Janguage that would sear : the' earlobes of a saint. They're usually from the same genera- tion and, at worst, can spend ~""'down ithe the 'boss, the ilies!: I know couples, including us, _who have been amicably bick- ering for anything from two to . Six decades. It becomes almost a game, in which you know every ploy or gambit of the opponent. (A ploy is when she has you dead to rights. A gam- bit is when you just might get away with the story.) But with teen-agers, you're fighting a losing battle. First of all, there is the language barrier. Theoretically, you're both speaking the same tongue, but when it comes to interpretation, there's no re- lation whatever. You say, "Now, I want you home at midnight, right on the dot." This, to the teen, gyrat- ing in that weird, trance-like state they call dancing, means "Well, I don't have to leave until midnight." A scene en- sues. And at scenes, you haven't a look-in. You're all set to raise hell. Hackles are _ properly erect. And five minutes after the kid gets in, you're on the defensive, trying to prove that you're not "an old grump," or completely irrational, or "the strictest parent in town," or an out-and-out liar who twelve o'clock was the dead- line for leaving the dance, not for being home. Teen-agers are like women. You can't discuss anything with them, in.a logical way. You are completely baffled by a series of irrelevances, non- sequiturs and such things as, "You don't trust me. That's what's wrong with you. You said - don't trust me!" And they're right. It's sad to see a_ family breaking up. I suppose it's in- evitable and right. But it's sad. Ours is. We had a swim the other day, the four of us. As we were leaving the beach, I said to the old girl, "Do you realize that's probably the last time we'll all have a swim together?" She agreed. Kids don't want to go swim- ming with their parents. They want to lurch around with their own age group. They used to practically destroy me, when they were little, making me play with them when we went swimming. Duck dives, underwater endurance _ tests, races. And now it's transistor radios, squabbling and cheeky remarks for which there is no real answer except a swat on the ear. And you can't do that, or they'll run off and _ start smoking pot. Enjoy them when they're lit- tle. You can blow on their bel- lies, kiss their little soft bums, rock them when they're sick, and tell bedtime stories till you're blue in the face. There's communication then. But don't expect too much when they get past 13. For'the next six years, it will be sun and showers, cold fronts mov- ing in, a lot of low pressure areas, with the occasional high, and such suggestions as I've heard recently: 'Dad's just not with it. He's out to lunch." It's nothing new, of course. When I recall how utterly self- ish I was as a youth, how little I cared about my _ parents' hopes and fears, I understand. It's been going on since Cain clobbered Abel and broke up that nice little family group. It's a time of life when the whole earth revolves around ME, and parents are merely another awkward, sometimes obnoxious circumstance that is preventing ME from _ being what I want to be and becom- ing whatever I will be. Oh, well, there's an excellent invention called grandchildren. I can hardly wait to get at spoiling mine rotten so. that their parents will be totally unable to cope with them. N.B.: Winner of guest col- umn announced next week for sure. Isn't it exciting? TERRACE BAY NEWS July 20, 1967 SCHREIBER NEWS Mrs. Ethel Smitheman has received word that pjano students were successful in recent examinations: Grade Three - Hoily Brown, Terrace Bay; and Doug. Chisholm. Grade Four - June Sisson (honors) Sharon Scott and Anne Needham (honors) Grade 5 - Roberta Milani and Catherine McGrath (honors) Barbara Stef- urak. Grade 8 - Nola Fummerton (honors). Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Hewson inad the former's brother George and wife and family of Kingston visiting them Mr. & Mrs. W.G.Furlonger hosted a dinner party in honor of Mr.&Mrs. Fergus Kelly of Toronto, with members of the East Thunder Bay TB Association. Mr. Kelly who is Seal Sales director for the OTA was here for an informal meeting with the Assoc iation discussing the coming seal campaign. Mrs. Ethel Gooderham has returned to Toronto after visiting her cousin Mrs. Jack Corbett. Winners in the Walkathon held by teenagers for Expo funds were Barry Gilmore, Claude Courtemanche and Bon Hiller first, Mary Speziale, Joyce Richard- son and Cathy McGrath second. Dr. Jack Gordon, Mrs. Gordon and family of Minneapolis will spend a week visiting and camping with the former's b rothers Alex and George and families at Celim. Mr. & Mrs. Steve Pomer, with Mr. & Mrs. Russell Partridge and family of Winnipeg have returned home after visiting the Gordons - Mrs. Pomer the former Mima Gordon. Mr. & Mrs. Charlie Firman of Fort William also enjoyed the family gathering. Mrs. Tom Bryant is visiting her brother and sister and other relatives in North Bay, and Arnstein, Ont- ario. Mr. & Mrs. Harry Nevins (Ruth Phillips) and son David of Toronto have gone to. visit friends in David- son, Saskatchewan after being the guests of Mr. & Mrs. Jack Phillips. Mrs. Hugh Stewart is visiting Mr. & Mrs. Joe Sloan (her sister Betty) in Mitchell, Ontario and her son Bob Stewart, and brother Ray Caidwell in Ottawa. Ray Cote, of the local high school staff, is marking papers in Toronto after which he and his wife will holiday at the west coast. Mr. & Mrs. Alex Power have the latter's sister, Rev. Sister St .Fidelis of Pembroke visiting. Mr. & Mrs. Dick Needham have had the former's sister, Rev. Sister St.John of Barry Bay with them . (cont'd on Page 13)