In the Wednesday, July 29, issue of The Natchez Democrat on the Opinion page, Julie Cooper’s column “Community needs work force plan”  hit the nail on the head and put it 12 inches down.

There was a time when mothers were at home raising children and teaching them the various things you mentioned.

Then, wanting the finer things in life, mothers started working outside the home. As an example, the family wants a Cadillac Escalade instead of being content with a Toyota Camry.

Mothers working, with other income coming into the family, can be a liability because more taxes and expenses are to be paid. More dollars are going through their hands, but the same amount of spendable dollars would be the same even if mother wasn’t working.

No longer are children learning to cook, to clean, good manners, consideration for others and good self esteem.

I think it is about 20 years too late, but we should start such programs in our schools as Julie mentioned in her column.

Children no longer learn how to keep a checkbook, make investments, borrow money, or have correct workplace performance and appearance.

They certainly do not learn how to be kind to a customer, or anyone else with whom they come in contact. It often seems clerks give you the impression that they are doing you a favor to wait on you.

After watching my husband teach school for more than 20 years and listening to his comments, things have certainly changed.  When he started teaching, it was unusual for a child to be from a broken home.

Now it is unusual for a child to be from a conventional home with a mother and father who bore the children still in the home together.

Also, I believe our children, upon graduation from high school, should be required to go to junior college  for two years, as they are not mature enough to go on to the “senior” schools.

If they want to marry, so be it, but I still think they should be required to go on to junior college.

Silvia Waites

Woodville resident