Appreciating Our Parents (1950)

And how he learned all about the things his mother and father do for him. This is Tommy's room, and he's thinking about his room. Can you guess what he's thinking? Look how neatly all of Tommy's clothes are hung in the closet. Yes, that's what Tommy's thinking about. How neat and straight his whole room is. Tommy's thinking hard, because he hasn't done a thing to his room since he left for school this morning. And when he left, the room didn't look like this at all. With toys on the shelves, bed neatly made, clothes put away. No, this morning it looked like this. Clothes scattered about, bed not made, toys on the floor. Yes, when Tommy went to school this morning, he left his room a mess. But now, everything is neat and straight. Now how do you suppose that happens? And that's not all. Yesterday, Tommy tore the sleeve of his favorite cowboy shirt. And now it's mended as good as new. And this jacket had a button off. Now there's a new button. And you know, things of that sort don't happen just in Tommy's room. They happen all over the house. After breakfast this morning, the kitchen looked like this. Then do you know what happened while Tommy was in school? Yes, the table was cleared, the dishes were washed and put away, and the whole kitchen was cleaned up. The same thing happens with the dirty clothes. They get washed and ironed and put away just like magic. And the groceries that come from the stores. Well, see that chicken? Here's the way it looks when Tommy sits down to supper. Things certainly do happen while Tommy's in school. Now what does Tommy see? Where's he going? Oh, here's Tommy's father, homework. And here comes mother to say hello. Tommy likes to be with his parents. And this evening is a little special. For it's the day for Tommy to receive his allowance. Every week, father comes home with money for Tommy and for mother. Money father earns by going out and working for his family. After supper, the kitchen looks very much as it did after breakfast. Do you know who will clean it up? Tommy knows that when he gets up tomorrow morning, everything will be done. So, good night father. Good night mother. Good night. Forgot something very important. He'd balance money in his bank before he forgets. But say, that's not very much money. And there are shows to go to. And that super atomic airplane to send for. And, well, there are so many things a boy likes to have money for. Tommy's going downstairs. He's going to ask father if he can't have a little more money every week. And Tommy will get to see what mother... Oh, they're doing those dirty dishes. And mother is telling father all about the things she did while he was at work. Just what did mother do today? The first thing she did this morning was to fix up the kitchen. She cleared the table and washed the dishes and put the food away. And made everything spick and span. Then she went up to Tommy's room to straighten it. There were train tracks and other toys to be picked up and put away. There was the bed to be made. There were clothes to be hung up. And some would need washing or mending. After that, mother started on the ironing. Doing the family washing and ironing is a pretty hard job. But mother does it regularly every week. And the cooking. Mother has to find good, nourishing meals for the whole family every day. She knows Tommy's appetite is getting bigger and bigger. Later, she did the mending. There's Tommy's cowboy shirt. And his jacket. Tommy could be more careful with his clothes. Those are just some of the things that mother has to do. No wonder she's often tired at the end of the day. It seems mother never stops working for the family. And what about father? What does he do all day? Well, he had a particularly hard job today. One redo. But he did it anyway. Because that's the way father earns money. By doing the job. You see, it is the time he gives, the work he does, that he gets money for. And this is the money the family has to pay for the home and food. And give Tommy his allowance, too. In a way, the money is father's work. At home, before supper, father worked on the family budget. It isn't easy to figure out how best to spend the money. Because there are always so many bills to pay. And so many things the family wants to buy. After supper, father repaired a broken hair. Fixing things instead of buying new ones is a good way to save money. Yes, sir, father and mother do a good job of working together. Like a team. They do so many things for the whole family. And that's something Tommy hadn't thought about before. A team. That's what a family is. A family is a team that works together. And Tommy would like to be on that team. He thinks it's something like a football team. Yes, Tommy likes to play on a team. And he knows that to have a good game, you must all work together. And every member of the team must do his share. Now Tommy wants to do his share for the family team. One thing, he can save his money. Not ask father for more. And so help the family buy more things they all want. And starting right now, he can help mother by putting things away. Yes, from now on, things are going to be different with Tommy. After a week or so of trying, Tommy was really working on the team. When a piece of train track was broken, Tommy fixed it himself. So father didn't have to fix it. Or spend money buying new track. Don't you think that's a good way to help your father? And show him how much you appreciate all he does for you? And see how neat Tommy's room is. Tommy's gotten in the habit of picking things up and putting them away. And it makes him proud when mother doesn't have to do any work in his room. Isn't that a good way to help your mother? And show her how much you appreciate all she does for you? And Tommy has thought of other things he can do for his parents. It's really more fun than work when you know you're helping your mother and father. Wouldn't you like to do things for parents the way Tommy does? Then help to keep your room clean and neat. Keep your clothes on hangers. Try not to tear them or get them too dirty. Put things where they belong. Don't leave them on the floor when you're not using them. Help save money. Remember, someone has to work to earn it. Help your parents around the house. There are many jobs you can do that will make things easier for father and mother. Try to think of new ways you can help your family. And ask your mother and father about them. They'll be glad that you want to do something that proves how much you love them. And appreciate all the things they do for you. Your parents will appreciate your help. Just as Tommy's father and mother do. And what's more, because Tommy has helped to save money, mother and father agree that he has earned a share of the money saved. A bigger allowance. That's mighty good. But what's better, Tommy knows he's a real member of his family team.