Alice Roosevelt was born on February 12, 1884. Two days later, her mother and paternal grandmother died, as her father, then New York Assemblyman, Theodore Roosevelt, floated between the deathbeds.
She was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, and the half sister to five younger siblings. There are conflicting stories about her relationship with her stepmother: some experts say it was a generally good relationship that had some bumps, while others paint Edith Roosevelt as the original Wicked Stepmother. It was probably a combination of both. While it was Edith who patiently massaged Alice's legs (she needed to be in leg braces in her early childhood), Edith also resented what young Alice represented, Theodore's first marriage. This created a natural friction between them. It also created a feeling in Alice that she did not quite belong to her family, and this feeling of diconnectedness most likely contributed to her independent wild streak. Alice enjoyed shocking people, a characteristic which remained over her long life.
When she was first daughter, a guest in the President's office, annoyed by Alice's frequent interruptions, demanded that Alice be disciplined. Roosevelt sighed and said, "I can either run the country or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both."
Nuff said.
Childrend, ESPECIALLY teenagers, are human beings. They have free will. You can not control them.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you supposed to do, tie them up?
That cerainly would not teach them the proper way to exercise their free will, would it?