Wednesday, February 27, 2008

All Grossed Out For the Day!

I am usually the one that seems to be a good example of what not to do with your children. Right now with everything that my kids are picking up and utilizing as true fact we kinda try to be somewhat age appropriate. We miss sometimes. We let Isaac watch the Simpsons Movie. NOT a good idea. Sometimes it has been suggested to let the kids sing nursery rhymes and read fairy tales. So this has been my story over the last couple of days. I went to the library to pick up some extra books to read to the kids. I wanted some older stories, but at the time all I could find was Hansel and Gretel. I remembered about the witch, but thought it would be ok. Reading to your children about how moms and dads are trying to rid their children and then nearly get eaten by a witch just does not seem a pleasant story. Even though at the end they try to reassure the child reading the book that their parents will not harm them! So I was telling this to one of our patients this morning and she was telling me how most of the celebrations and songs and whatnot for our children are not very pleasant in nature. For instance-Ring around the rosie-which happens to be one of Zoey's favorites. It happens to be about the black plague in 1347 and killed 25 million people. Ring around the rosie describes the rash that they first get. Pocket full of posies describes the flowers to ward off infection and to calm the smell. Ashes ashes describes the burning of the dead and their homes. We all fall down describes the dead. How child appropriate is that? Now I did get all that from Google which also said that it could just be a nursery rhyme that has no purpose similar to Hey Diddle Diddle. But now that I have heard that I think I will always have a terrible image in my head of ring around the rosie. One of my co-workers is reading the full book of Grims Fairy Tales. Most of which--not nice. I didn't know that he wrote The Little Mermaid and I sure didn't know that in the story the mermaid commits suicide. Not sure I will read that one to Zoey anytime soon.
So this went around work and I thought it was funny. It is real. But so silly.

1943 Guide to Hiring Women
The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II.
"Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.
Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:
1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.
2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.
4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.
5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.
6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.
7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.
8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.
9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.
10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.
11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy."

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