Betty Smith's A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN is chock full of wisdom but one particular passage stands out to me. Katie Nolan's mother, Mary Rommely is explaining the right way to bring up children. Contrary to Katie's desire to protect her daughter from disappointment, Mary says the following: "That is what is called learning the truth. It is a good thing to learn the truth one's self. To first believe with all your heart, and then not to believe, is good too. It fattens the emotions and makes them to stretch. When as a woman life and people disappoint her, she will have had practice in disappointment and it will not come so hard. In teaching your child, do not forget that suffering is good too. It makes a person rich in character."
Sage advice.
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