George Herter is a 50’s-era hero of mine. He ran a sporting goods empire and wrote dozens of books on dozens of diverse topics that he sold through his sporting goods catalog. He was an opinionated bon vivant. Some say he knew what he was talking about, but his Bull Cook cookbooks are something else. How does he know all this food history? How does anyone? Well, he did get around. And was supposedly pals with Hemingway. He’d go down and visit Hem under an assumed name. George was interesting.
One of his books is “How to Live with a Bitch,” and I think it’s his book on marriage. Then there’s “George the Housewife,” about his views on home ec. They’re darn cool in their own special way.
So…
I recall while reading one of these that in the section on child-rearing he said “Be sure to spend an hour a week with each child doing what they want to do.” I read this before we had kids and I recall thinking, Ha! What a 50’s dude. Spending just an hour a week with your kids doing something they like… It’s that old absentee dad thing. Dad’s at the office days and bowling and the Rotary at night. Saturday in the yard, Sunday at church. Be sure to squeeze in that hour for the kids.
Well…
After we had kids, considering the scramble for everything else, it soon impressed me that finding an hour each week just to goof around with each kiddy was easier said than done!
Of course, “what the kid wants” was limited to “and is also good for the kid.” …”I want candy! I want TV!” didn’t apply. It was more like “Let’s go outside and you pick what you want to do!”
Anyway, George was smart. Stopping, slowing down and doing whatever with a kid is a great thing. At least an hour a week. It was amazingly curative, too, for any worry or glitch the kids seemed to have.
Then there’s the whole “they watch what you do not what you say” thing. Those old saws are spot on! Also, “it’s more how you say it than what you say.” Whew! These are big challenges for some of us!
Well, for those who have kids — there are only a few short quick years. Seize em, savor em and don’t screw up. God help us all! : )
