My fabulous friends Laura and Dave are, in the next few weeks, about to have their lives changed by the arrival of a bouncing baby boy. Upon realizing that I had an extra copy of a book called The Care and Feeding of Children, I passed along the 1920s version (I kept the 1907 copy […]
Tag: children
Country vs. City Kids (1891)
“It cannot be claimed that children brought up in the country are better morally than those brought up in the cities. Evil exists in both places, and much of it cannot be kept from the knowledge of the young. It is seen in the city stripped of its glamour, and with its degrading effects more […]
Popular Games for Children
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What did children do for fun in the late 1800s and early 1900s? Were there some games that were popular? My daughter’s class is studying the lives of immigrant children in the years 1880 to 1920. I suspect we can’t find much because there isn’t too much on the subject. Life […]
The Birthday Cake
Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me! Yes, it’s that time of year again. Although it would seem that I should be mature and respectable in my old age, I’m not about to give up my birthday party. I decided to do a bit of research to learn more about one important aspect, the […]
Talent for Toy Choosing
I’m heading down to my mom and stepdad’s house in Florida for the long weekend, and part of the purpose of the trip (besides lounging by the pool) is to pick up my favorite childhood toy: a doll so creatively named Big Baby. She’s been part of my life for the last thirty or so […]
School Days
I spotted my first back-to-schoolers this morning. They looked so eager, with their empty backpacks and spiffy new clothes. Makes me want to stock up on my favorite Garanimals, just like the good old days. This one goes out to all the bright-eyed schoolchildren out there. It’s from M. Thelma McAndless’s handy pamphlet titled Manners Today. […]
In Company
Please excuse me as I salivate over a wonderful additions to my collection. A gift from my dear sweet mother, this tiny pamphlet, written entirely in verse and is titled The School of Good Manners.It is dated 1822, and so became my earliest book. Some helpful readers have clued me in that the author was Nancy […]
Is She an Old Maid?
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My sister is thirty-two years old and unmarried. Is she an old maid? Is there any hope or should we give up? Signed, Antoine A Dear Antoine: Give up? Thirty-two is certainly not dead. Besides, she might be perfectly happy with her singleness. I bet she’s absolutely joyous! Even though it […]
Household Secrets Revealed! Story at 11.
Q Dear Miss Abigail: What does one do to stop their children from revealing household secrets? Signed, Lori A Dear Lori: Whew! I think it’s time to have a little family conference to let those kids know how you really feel about their blabbering mouths, and to let them air their “issues.” Henry and Elizabeth […]
A Baby and His Dog
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My children are separated in age by ten years. I thought it would be a great idea to get my five year old a small dog for a gift. My husband is adamantly opposed to this idea, but he isn’t offering any form of compromise. He says he is allergic, but […]