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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-02-11, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH S!GNALrSTAR, WEDNESDAY, FEURUARY`11,1981 1 i Second class moll registration number -0716 11 With the imminent prospect of fatherhood pending, anxieties are beginning to well up inside. Afterall, I've never been one before. And I'm certain all prospective dads have experienced such anxiety as they took on the joys and burdens of family life. You'll soon find out what it's like I've been told by un- sympathetic morns and dads, with recent memories of early morning awakenings. But you know there's something totally unfair about the whole proposition. Most men have 'had only one example of fatherhood to draw experience from, meaning their own father. And during childhood it is quite common for boys to want to grgw up and be just like dad and the same relationship I suppose exists between mother and daughter. -' Youngsters often defend parents boasting,."my dad is better than yours," in a ritual of one-upmanship. SINCE 1848 THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT PM/tided In 1000 and.publlshed.w y Wednesday at Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OWNA. Adver- tising rotes on request. Subscriptions payable In advance '17.10 In Canada. '31.00 to'U.S.A.. '35.00 to all other cow- tries, shale copies Sr. Display advertising rates available on request. please ask for Rate Card'No. 10 effective tabor 1, 1000. Second class mall Registration Number 0710. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of -typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item. together with reasonable allowance for signature. will not be cherged,,for but the balance of the advertisement velli be paid for et the ap- plicable rote. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong price. goods or service may not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell. and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Ston is not c,;-.r..:edc! sr -e!= l cs car.^. 7,0 ofear.-cfl:ttcd cry-r.urcrIptt, photos or Other raterfal.'used for r®praducing pew - PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher DONALD M. HUBICK - Advertising Manager. DAVID SYKES - Editor P.O. BOX 440, HUCKINS ST. 114DUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 486 Naturally as soon as some disciplinary measure is imposed the ,.same child will scream, "1 won't treat my children this rotten when 1'ma parent" It's almost a no-win situation. But basically 1 think there's truth in the fact children learn a great deal about parenting from their own parents. Parents are often known to counter with great lines of their own tod,"Just wait until you have your own kids, then you'll know what it's like." Being a child is 'a. tough job and parents often complicate the maturation process. As 0 long as things' .progress at a . relatively smooth rate, parents ar r tolerable. Even friendly at times. There is, however, that ugly side of parenthood that children loathe. Children don't always clearly see the merits of discipline or the rationale behind it. Apparently it's a necessary part of the job. Allowance is always a major cause of controversy as aprents attempt to teach children the value of money and a respon- sible a ttitut e towards spending. .1 considered my own approach to spen- ding most sensible. I wquld spend the entire sum ( which wasn't much then) on hockey cards, baseball cards, football cards, whatever was goingamunda_tthe time. \ Sport cards were as valuable an item as a broken -in baseball glove. They were sacred territory,. My mother didn't quite understand though and boxes of boyhood memorabilia were liberally tossed out much to my chagrin. What •seemed like foolish spending at the time was actually an investment. Some of those cards would be worth a small fortune today. Regardless of what a child buys with allowanee money, its always a bad choice. "Why don't you save your allowance and •Ivey n tllba,'° parents would plead. As a youngster I vowed that my own children could spend great sums on gooey things and mounds of cards but our per- spective erspective is somewhat slanted at that age. Anyway .it now takes a quarter topurchase the same items that cost .a nickel not too many years ago. What is most difficult for children to grasp is the parental comparison of childhoods. We've all heard the stories that begin with the . infamous intro, "When I was your age...." That doesn't hold any credence with children, they simply don't believe that parents were ever that young. Age is in- comprehensible. Parents are simply lumped into the old people category, people who are prone to yelling when things don't go right. Well soon I will enter into that dreaded category of the old parent person. ,But hopefully Iawill never forget what it was like bein' a kid. FOR ROSINESS OR WUURIALOFFICES please phone (019) 524-0331 ig shoes to fill In the Huron -Truce region, the name Murray Gaunt was synonymous with effective, grass roots politics. The fact that a man could represent a ridiing for 181 Oar s in an opposition role offers testimony to the in- tegrity of a wpoiitician. Simply, Murray worked for his constituents.. 0 But that respected relationship between politician and electorate came to an end last week as Gaunt announced his retirement from the Legislature. His career in Queen's Park was an enviable one that was launched in a riding by-election in 1 .. It has been purported that politicians leave politics by one of two methods, by death or defeat. Itis inconceivable that Gaunt would have made an exit by defeat and it isnot hold to sagged that his seat in the IPagislature was guaranteed as long as he wanted it. Murray was a people politician. There was no pretense or illusions of grandeur but rather he maintained an honest,•folksy relationship with the riding. When Murray visited in the riding at any event he was able to shake hands with everyone and call most of them by first name. Some claim it is an ability inherent in politicians but: Murray's greeting was genuine and sin - The life of a public servant is not as soft as much of the electorate assumes. And undoubtedly there are many sacrifices along the way. For Murray much of thatsacrifice came at the expense \ f his family and he is most eager to recognize their contribution to his career. Family support and sacrifice roust be unrelenting. And now, Murray says, it is time to give back. His decision to retire was based entirely on a desire to spend more time with his wife and children. By some claims', the. Liberals have legitimate aspirations in forming the government in this election. The party itself is heady with,optimism even if voters seek a new government just for the sake of change. Despite the Imagevity of lis career, Gaunt was forced to press his point from the opposition side of the Legislature. He would love to be part of a government and in view of,. the fact the Liberals have a fighting chance, his retirement decision was a tough one. The rewards of political life are sometimes scarce and for Murray the rewards were of a more personal nature. But now it's back to farming and family life for the Gaunt family. And for next MP of Huron -Bruce the shoes will be mighty big ones to fill. D.S. - Conserve year round Admittedly there might be -only a few weeks left of the winter season but the wrath of winter has been felt in this region well into April. Everyone shoo}Id make energy conservation , a year- round project and even this late in the winter season, it is a worthwhile resolution. Fuel costs have increased at alarming rates and there are positive indications the prices will not be stable for long. Undoubtedly you've heard the preaching before as conservationists advocate turning down thermostats, increasing insulation, the need for additional caulking and the merits of storm windows and doors. But there is good advice in the preaching and' if you're I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take itanymore. . Humph. Sharing that thought with you did not make me feel any better. I just noticed on the calendar that there is a Friday the Thirteenth bearing down on us. I do not look forward to the day with fear and trepidation. No day could be worse than the ones I have been experiencing as of late. Isn't it enough that I feel bad because that last bastion of beauty, Little House on the Prarie, has resorted to sex and violence to gain favorable ratings? No. My car has to die in the middle of Bayfield Road. There 1 was yesterday, cruising down the road on the way to an assignment amidst a whirling blizzard when that stupid Blue Bomb which I once loved rebelled. The union of cars is the strongest there is. Once they decide to go on strike, that's it. They get what they want. The problem is, they never tell you what it is they want. The stupid Blue Bomb just sat dissatisfied with the fuel bill, take stock of the situation at your house and make an earnest attempt to rectify energy tosses when weather permits. One of the single most effective measures one can take to conserve is by the addition of insulation. Plugging up drafts will also save money in the long run. Have the furnace checked and serviced if needed. Fireplaces are often more of a heat guzzler than generator and serious thought should be given to the purchase of glass doors. There are many ways that everyone can decrease the consumption of fuel and in this decade the saving of nickels and dimes may mean a lot. D.S. there in the middle of the road whining. Some gallant males came to the rescue and pushed me off the road (the car too) and played under the hood in the way gallant males do. Their playing offered no results. I deduced that the stupid Blue Bomb required gas and obtained a can full. She burped once and died again. I hailed a tow truck and its driver, who played under the hood in an ungallant fashion. His playing offered quick results and then he said, "That'll be $20." Charmed, I'm sure. The stupid Blue Bomb is not alone in its mutiny. My'' cat doesn't love me anymore either. Just because I left her at the vet's last week and had some certain kitten -bearing parts of her anatomy removed, she has deemed it necessary to launch a personal vendetta against her mistress. How was I supposed to know she wanted to be a mother? She never told me. I thought I was doing what was best for Shark ? Photo by Cath Wooden DEAR BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER READER I understand that Mrs. Bill Davis is going to get more involved in her husband's election campaign this time around. Premier Davis, of course, has been talking of late about the importance of the strong family unit. What would be more natural then, than for mrs. Davis to take to the hustings with Bill? Wnat a display of solidarity in the Davis household that would be. Quite a number of people like to see a wife at her politician .husband's side. It's ort of a completion factor, I guess. Kind of a visible sign that he is a solid, upstanding citizen and a devoted family roan. Good voter -confidence builder. But I really question that wisdom. - -- There does; --seem • to- .he _ thesame good feeling about a female politician, for instance, who drags her husband around from meeting to meeting. I often wonder if in that case, it isn't rather demoralizing for the man. Seems to me that society still sees a man in that situation as a bit of a wirnp: Mind you, liberated women don't feel that way. Nor do the men who are married to and un- derstand achieving women, in most cases. But I think the average voter has enough trouble accepting the woman candidate honestly and without prejudice. A quiet, accepting ' husband at her side would only confuse the issue for some;, and cloud it completely for a few. But even wives aren't always that helpful to husbands at•election time. At least visible wives. Remember when Maggie Trudeau was still Canada's darling? Remember when chs rnilnwrd her. But no, she has been skulking around in a giant pout since I picked her up from the vet's. Everytime I approach her to apologize, she says, "Humph" and faces the other direction. Sure, she will still accept the food 1 give her and the roof I provide for her. All. I ask for in return is a little love and co-operation. Sigh. Cats Can Be Like That When They Don't Get Their Own Way. (You are all loving this, aren't you? People love to read about the Hassles of Life of other people. Philistines.) And then there is my apartment. I broke the news to it the other day that I am going to leave it for good soon. I told „it not to take the move personally, it's j ust that it is time to expand my horizons and so on. Instead of taking it like a gen- tleapartment, the darned abode decided not to give me any heat one night when I returned from work. t swear I heard the walls snickering. I could have let it have its • Pierre into the heat of the election campaign? Remember how the mom, dad and the kids routine for the first family seemed so touching and so tender? Must have decided a few of the uncommitted that time round. Then remember what happened when Maggie kicked over the traces? Remember how the cheers became jeers?. Remember how the Trudeau family strength and solidarity became a joke with the people -- of this country? Remember how cruelly people used it against -the prime minister? ,Alemeinber the last. federal election and Maureen •McTeer, Joe Clark's barrister wife? Remember how she got into theswing of the election? Granting interviews? Making speeches? Appearing on Joe's arm? - The red -necks looked at Joe Clark a little differently with Maureen at his side. They saw a very- strong. lady -with husband -who tended to • - put his foot in his mouth at every turn. •Some said, "If he can't get his own wife to stay horse and take his name, can he run this coun- try?" They saw a modern family that was just a little . different from the Pierre -Maggie situation of the campaign a few years ago. ' Maureen was no clinging vine. No barefoot and pregnant future for her. And I've wondered since that election whether Maureen's presence throughout the campaign proved to be a hinderance to her ambitious spouse. Nancy Reagan went everywhere with her Ronnie throughout the recent presidential race in the United States. The wives of candidates do much more of that in the USA than in Canada. In the majority of vengeance and gone somewhere 'else 'to sleep or turned on the oven, but I am not one to give up a fight. I got the building superintendant to fight for me. He determined that the aparment had blown a fuse and we simply replaced it. However, it was a good two hours before the heat returned and then I woke up at 5 a.m. to an apartment that was 90 degrees. By now; you will be telling me that I should quit giving objects like cars and cats and rooms human traits and we will all get along a little better. I don't believe you. Humans have human traits and I don't get along with most of them. At any rate, I see Friday theThirteenth as my last day of rotten luck arid am looking forward to the day that follows, which is Valentine's Day if you haven't already heard. I shall forget my quarrels and float on a cloud of bliss and love throughout the day. I just hope Cupid's Arrow doesn't hit me in the wrong spot. cases, the president's wife gets as much ink in the national press as the main man -.sometimes more. Think of'.Eleanor Roosevelt and Jackie Kennedy Onaissis. • I felt sorry for 'Nancy Reagan much of the time. he just stood in one position; her hands crossed casually in front of • her, holding her elegant little purse. Her face had this plastic smile that never changed. Her eyes were emotionless as far -as I could tell. It seemed to. me she was little more. than a platform decoration. Just a bit more personality than an urn of carnations. And poor, poor Rosalind Carter. That suffering soul. The heart of every woman in North America must have gone out -to her as she stood two paces to the rear of her man Jimmy and watched him choke back the tears as he con- ceded the election to Ronald Reagan. - -Now- that -had -an-irrrpact- on -the voters, Yd. wager. And if many of them had had it to do all over again at that very moment, they would have voted for Jimmy just to save Rosalind from that torment election night. Yes sir, a wife (or a husband! ) at a politician's side has an effect on voters. But you can never be certain just what it will be. If I had my way, I'd legislate that spouses would be prevented from sharing the limelight with their political counterparts. While Bill Davis is right - the renewal of the family is < what will save this country from disaster in the years ahead - spouses have no place in the political arena. It's just too difficult for the average voter to weigh the pros and cons of hard-nosed party planks with the candidate's private homelife flaunted at every turn', muddying truth and befuddling facts. cath wooden