t at the fact that
the boy wishes at times to be alone, and so fathers and mothers are
continually on the watch to prevent the boy from really having any time
of his own. All of these things put together have but one logical
result, the ultimate break between the boy and the home, and the
departure of the boy at the first real opportunity to strike out for
himself, thus sundering all the home relationships.

Perhaps one of the saddest things in the home life today is the neglect
of the father to see that his boy receives the necessary knowledge
concerning sex, that his life may be safeguarded from the moral perils
of the community. This is not always a willful breach of duty on the
part of the father, but usually comes from ignorance as to how to broach
this subject to the boy. A great many growing lives would be saved from
moral taint and become a blessing instead of a curse if the father
discharged his whole duty to his growing son, by putting at his disposal
the knowledge which is necessary to an understanding of the functions of
the sex life.

To recapitulate, several things are necessary to bring about real
relationships in the home life between the parents and the boy. These
are: a place for the boy in the family councils as a partner in the
home life, the boy's right to companionship with his parents, the
privilege and responsibility of private ownership, the right a boy has
to his personality and privacy, and tactful and timely instruction in
matters of sex. This might be enlarged by the parents' privilege of
caring for and developing social life for the boy in the home, a
carefully planned participation in its working life, instructions in
thrift and saving, and a general cooperation with the school and the
church, as well as the auxiliary organizations with which the boy may be
connected, so that the physical, social, mental and spiritual life of
the boy may become well balanced and symmetrical. Add to this the
Christian example of the father and mother, as expressed in the everyday
life of the home, and especially through family worship and a
recognition of the Divine Being at meal time, and without any cant or
undue pressure there will be produced such a wholesome home environment
as to assure the boy of an intelligent appreciation of not only his
father and mother, but of his home privileges in general, and of the
value of real religion.

BIBLIOGRAPHY ON THE HOME

Allen.--Making the Best of Our Child