21
Better Living
Detu DitUol"': I'm really
worried about my te.nage
dIIJqjtler. SM used to be (I bit
� but now 1M' exII'mIely
thin from tJOt eIIIint much./s this
okay? I tell her she's mal
nouri6laetL ST., Sl
LA. .
oe&r Sarah: It oould be big
trouble. R pid weight loss is a • r-------------------..-...;..-------:....! ,
oommon sign of numerous ills.
Eighteen percent of teenage
girl' have symptoms of
anorexia, a syndrome resulting
from a preoccupation with
prolonged dieting and weight
loss. One in five women of col
lege age suffer from bulimia, or
chronic, self-induced vomiting
to lose weight Both anorexia
and bulimia �. kill Seek the
advice of a doctor, especially
one familiar with eating disor-
de . .
•
Dear Dialogue; As a ursing
mother, may I safely enjoy cof
fee? S ar V., GoIdsbo 0, C.
Dear Sharon: Stick to decaf.
Harper's Bazaar reports that
caffeine introduced through
breas t milk remains in an
infant's body from 0 to U
days. Caffeine Iso maybe
present in ea, . tamiDe$,
painkillers, soda pop, chocolate
and diet aids.
Do-you have a question about
personal hygiene or health? Send
to Dialogue, the Diai Corpora
tion, III W. Clarendon, M.S.,
}616. Phoenix, Ariz., 85077. For
a personal reply, send a self-ad
dress, stamped envelope.
We parent w nt our
children to grow up honest and
caring and proud of 0 they
are. But won't achieve this
result by telling our children to
be all these things. We can only
chieve it by showing them in
the y live our own lives.
As the granddaugb ter,
daughter, and si ter of Baptist
minister� service as essen
tial a part of my upbridging as
eating d sleep' and going to
chool The church was a hub of
Black childrea's social existence
and. car' Black adults were
buffers . t the sqrepted
prison of ide Id tba
told were' er r aDd
I UIlimportJlDL B t our pare
't so. Our eben
a'l o. ADd our
lJr'eae8en said . . 't so. So
JDeau�e I iate alized,
despite the ugly racism of my respect; inspiring us to dream;
childhood, was to no man or and leading us to an awareness
woman look down 0 you and to of the reality of God •
look down 00 no man or oman. I learned about the dif-
Oilldren were taught, no by ference between substance and
sermonizing but by personal ex- style from my father. I was «l
empie, that nothing was too years old before I fJgW'ed, out
lowly to do and that the wor of that when my daddy often
our hands and the work of our responded to my reques for
miads were of equal dignity and money by ying he didn't have
value .. I remember a debate my any chan e that he really didn't
parent had about whether I was have any, rather than nothing
too young to go ·th an older smaUer than a S20 bill When he
brother to help dean the bed died in 1954, he ad holes in hi
and bedsores of a very . ck, poor shoes but two children ou of
an. I went. ADd I'm gratful college, a chil in college, and
I learned early tpuc::h even another in divinity school
the small helping hand can Me� of my chw:ch �n-
. mean to a lonely, suffering per- gregabOD and oommumty were
son. my exteoded family. They �pt
I learned about clear values me when my parents went out of
from my mother. My brother, to!'ll, they reported 00 and
Harry, at a 1981 tribute to our chided !De en I str yed from
mother bJ the Mothers Oub of the �aiPt and �ow of oom
the Shiloh Bapti t Church IDWl1ty �tJoDS,. and they
(which founded) thanked basked ID and upported my
L __ , • nUll:..... ..L� __ .... :....... when I did' well I
�orprv.�USw.l�� -:lIho I behalf �
that be were instrumeD- IlUII pe can �
bCII:,... aU of us set and Miz Lucy McQueea, Tee
...L' z...: ...... _. • •• __ ' Kelly, Miz Kate Wi d
l'eaUi U&ftUUU • eICIIKOD- Miz Amie B� ( helped
tary courtesy, char ctel', del • ..._ ) .. _
me r lIlY --J- , UII-
�
educated" but ve were priceless but not material:
smart women, wh were kind a living faith reflected in daily .
. and· patient and loving with service, the discipline of hard
childr n and with thers. I still wotk and stick-to-it-ness, and
remember how wh n I went to capacity to struggle in the face
Spelman CoUege iz Tee sent of adversity. I think you and I
me shoe boxes with chicken and owe that to our children, as they
biscuits and greasy liar bills. face their own hardships and
The legacies.my parents and I" challenges of today. ·Let's make
preachers and tea ers left ot sure we pass on the legacy, every
my generation ofBI ck children day.
.�
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Sat.
.7:30 a.m ..
. I