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God let the world adjust to me. Patricia's father wanted a boy. She tried to oblige him by developing competitive and aggressive qualities. It did not work so she left home. Then her father left home big patches in jail. Little Patty is in a reform school another works to escape the prison she calls home and the baby is in a playpen. One of the first major test in the struggle for maturity is the answer to this question. Can I be nice to the people I love. A second test comes when one is confronted with a choice between doing what has to be done and doing what he feels like doing. Individuals live or function in a family an orphanage in groups in offices or shops or schools. Some individuals develop the idea of common possessions as though these were not my car not my soap not my problem. They regard everything as though it were owned by an alien enemy. They take the group for all they can get out of it.
Such individuals have not absorbed the idea of living with a group living as part of a group they are in it but not part of it. There can be only one outcome to such methods of behavior. Everyone loses or suffers or fails. A girl can be wonderful outside the home and outside the school at home and in school. She is churlish boorish ill mannered critical demanding selfish unreasonable. She may reserve such conduct to spring on those who love her until she begins to receive the same kind of treatment back from them. Then she runs or gets sick or drinks to excess or escapes to a marriage and in marriage it does not make much difference whether one jumps from the frying pan into the fire or from the fire into the frying pan. Here to interview a child who illustrates many of these observations is Father Duffy speaking from the
juvenile court facilities of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh. Father Duffy. I never met Patricia's father so I do not know the things that he needs or wants but Patricia is not among them. And yet he has her or at least he did have her until she broke away from the home while at home this girl did everything she could to out fumble it out maneuver and manipulate her father in detention she attacked at least two of the matrons. Her only girlfriends are older women who are living desperate and lonely lives. She friends advises and encourages them. Her approach to men is one of competition and challenge her male associates thus far have been strong rugged primitive types. She seems to provoke people beyond their insurance and then she's surprised that they do not like her. Her idea of romance is pretty close to the Army's definition of combat. She likes nothing better than a good argument or a good fight. Now examining psychiatry's felt that this child was in
desperate need of institutionalization. He said that she will not get any better but he felt that the alternative would be unthinkable. I certainly do not believe that the girl can be allowed to live alone as she has been doing. You're allowed to continue her experiments with life situations to see whether she can control alcohol narcotics sex and death. The psychiatrist felt that a real traumatic experience might cure her. But the statistical risk involved of death or disfigurement is too high here then is Patricia. Is this your first time here now. How many times here before. Well by a time story. What was how old were you the first time you came you remember 11. What was that for. Running away from home. And what about second time playing hokey. Well grade 6. What about third time
running away from home. Fourth and Fifth say. And this time. Right. I don't actually know this time. I don't know what to say said I was missing from home but my mother told them I wasn't you were missing that they still hold me when a girl runs away so much she must be running away from something or to something or just running which was it. I disagree and wait because I didn't like it at home. How big is the family. I got four brothers and one sister. Which ones are those give you the trouble. None of them voted no. How do you go on with your mother she married with just the once she's unmarried ones how you do with her. Well I along with my mother pretty good. She's your buddy. Are you the oldest. Yes sir. How about your father how's that. We don't get along much to him. When did you stop getting on with him do you think. When
did I stop him. That was since I was little. You know. You never really liked you. I don't think you did. Well how would you tell you did he like you or didn't like you I don't know he. He always acted difference towards me. I don't know like I guess we have the grades on each other really because I know he wouldn't let me do things and I'd hold a grudge against him and he'd hold a grudge against me. He ever beat you up or hit you. Oh yeah every day. Hard to know why do you think there is any element of jealousy does you want to keep you controlled but he doesn't want anybody to be with you or near you. I don't know what it is. I really don't. Some I guess he just thinks I'm bad or something I don't know I can't. I could do the littlest thing and I still get in trouble for it. Is he this way with any of the other children. No I was never allowed out they were things I guess you know like
I would ask Could I go somewhere now when I was starting a 14 I wasn't allowed to date my sisters allowed a day and she's only 14 that you want to date and sometimes I did. So you like to see your sister held down with the same chains that held you down. No you don't mind her doing. I'm glad that she's not held down. I wonder why a man would be so aggressive towards a little girl so hostile so nasty. Well I would say one time. The first time I was sent away they just sent me away and then I went home. Then I messed around again and ran away from home. And then whenever they asked me did I want to go home I said no. And I never would go home after that. Were you sent away to an institution just a one or private state. How long were you there for I was there four times a week and I was there altogether. About four and a half years.
Did your father come to see your visiting someplace. No my mother came a couple times that some didn't he bring her he brought her but he never came in. He never even to see him. Hard to believe does it maybe is he a drinker now. Just don't drink. How's he get along with her does he like your mother I don't know. I really don't know now. My mother she left him sometime this summer in the fall and I don't know now they just they can they get along sometimes and then other times they fight all the time. My mother she's scared of him. Were the other kids. They're all home my brother just came up to us and later we'll see who's the bad one of the family. Well I don't know if you know you guess I guess it's
me. I'm always in trouble. My brother when I was when I was you know. When I was home and I have a quick temper. Do you mean my father's temper way clash. Maybe you got free from him. Probably my mother got a bad temper too and she's Irish. What's the other park How do you fry the Germans. Do you never remember his like you at all. Whenever I was younger I was like a tomboy and see I think it's like this. I could do things better than my brother could and like when we my father would take us out to play baseball and stuff you know. My my father always one of my brother you know to peer because I think sometimes that my father wanted me to be a poet instead of a girl and then we go out to play baseball. My dad would say Well whoever catches three flies gets a popsicle or
something you know. And I'd get out there and I'd catch three fires like nothing my brother could never catch him and stuff like a you know he'd cry and whine. Now he wouldn't do that my brother is bigger now from when he was younger he was a sissy boy it might be one of those things where maybe he wanted a boy before you hit you in the head you wanted. And then he probably somehow rejected you didn't want you and then but I always like when my brother when we would fight or something I always beat my brother. Today I wouldn't know you but my brother he never was. I don't know. I never was for my father. My brother he would like one time my mother and father was fighting my mother that was going to live. My dad said all right he's never stand come over here and his ever going with their mother live. And I went with my mother. Well I probably did it when everybody else did too and said for
my brother he didn't he said he didn't he didn't know what to do he didn't know where to go with what was in those kind of pushed kids on the spot. You don't know what to do. You didn't probably didn't want to lose either of them. I wanted to go with my mother. I never want to stay with my father. What do you think this is going to do to you in regard to marriage. Funny me. Well if you you know you resent him you don't like him. You want to defeat men with over them. You know do what they want you know. You know how do you get along with with boys. OK I never I don't I never showed interest in boys. There's only one where I ever showed any interest in best boy on gays to no value nice music ever. He doesn't have a record of you know he never was and. He never was even uglier. Think about your baby and her. No he never held it against me. I mean he is not a goody goody or nothing like that. He's like any
other man but he never was the same and that's to say he never was quiet. When you run away did you have to get me in trouble in those circumstances. How about tell me something how when you're a little before you started school something inherently Lifeway like anything that happened before you were. 5 4 years old. What's a for earliest remembrance that you had. I can remember the time I pushed my brother down the steps. He was a little baby then I remember it. I don't remember it real clear but I can remember parts my mother was worse than in the hallway. I wish machine was in the house we lived in furnished apartments and my mother she tells me you know that I did this I remember my brother he was in the cart and I was jealous of my brother when I was little and I just went and pushed the cart down the steps and my mother caught my brother before he went down but the cart went that my mother didn't see
me do it you know. And then afterwards I was crying cause my finger hurt. I was only about three at the time and she said What's wrong with you and I said Why are my finger when I pushed you down the steps. You probably do think her probably so that she wouldn't hit you for pushing him down. You see when you're running to defeat your brother to compete with him and beat him because all we've talked when you were three years old and he was probably only one and maybe some of his conversion Oh you want a future father but he's not going to be defeated in fact he's going to defeat you and pulverize you. They don't treat you pretty rough here. He now he doesn't. And I went home I lived at home for a little while summer. See I haven't lived at home I've been living on my own. And I know I didn't know you lived. I have you had an apartment or a furnished room. I lived with him first and then with this girl I knew her husband and then I moved in with my girlfriend.
It was on Cade with a quote you been working before you came here this time. And how come the picture Presley guy was here when he when he brought you in here. That I don't know. I was sound asleep in bed and I I just had woke up and I went down the hall to this girl days House and she asked me to watch her kids and I walked in here and then the next thing I know the police came and they asked me my name and I says I told them my name you know and then they said well we've been looking for you for a long time. As for what this is you're supposed to be missing from home my system not. So then they said well we got you for a narcotics charge or some I cared something about these dope goofballs or something and I don't know not I really don't know nothing about it. Seriously. I don't even know what they look like I've heard people say stuff about it did I start writing letters and everything that they brought me up here.
Well somebody must have told the police something about you otherwise they wouldn't bother you. I don't know what it was. See this other girl that lives in the same apartment house that I was staying at. She was for up there for running away when I came up here she told my workers something about this party that she went to that I need these boys and these boys gave er dope pills and stuff. And densify she told my worker that I gave her dope pills. My work grabs me and I told her not to say that my work went back and questionnaire again and she told it she admitted that I would say I gave it to her but at that I knew the voice. What were you working you know at the time how were you employed. I was a waitress and I know how much money would you make a week. Thirty six fifty Antipodes. Well that was a long. Time. I didn't last time. What's your biggest worry. I'm going to get out of here.
What would you do go back to the original place where you were in the apartment above. Like I don't know my worker she's trying to find placement for me because she don't want to put me away again because I've listened away for so long and then you were away altogether about five years. And. She don't want she don't want to send me away again and she don't want to send me home with my parents because we don't get along. And she just don't know what she's going to do with me. She said she don't want me going on my own again because she don't want these rumors started up again. Well people will spot you if they know what you did your work where you work. And so she see that's my biggest worry now. Did you quit school as soon as you were permitted by law to work. You know how it was when I was in more gains and I just I was 12 when I first went up there and.
I went I went to the highest class up there when I was 12 and I had graduated from school up there. I knew everything that they had up to so they just put me on detail. You get your diploma if you pass this test you have to pass to get a diploma. What's the worst thing ever happened to you been shot at. Were you shocked when somebody told me but I didn't know this. This summer and in this boy we was sitting on these girls steps and just for kicks was going to go out and steal some bread from the MPAA. And we went out and we started and we was in a convertible and we was Ryan and then I started I seen a car in back of us not that I sing like swinging on the road and I said there's a car behind us. We have barred this boy 63 Chevy. The cost wasn't chesnuts for stew in a brooding stillness because its boys called storming the store to score and they was chasing us and I told the boy the cost was behind us and he took off and they start shooting at us. We start down the brain and
then we ducked. Then we wrecked. We wrecked into three different cars in the cop car behind us wrecked in a cop car behind that wrecked it was a big wreck. It was in the papers this summer as progress and then I ran I jumped out the car and rayon after we were me and this other boy. We made it. If they still shoot at me I was scared I didn't I didn't even if first I wouldn't even know they were shooting at me because it just said you know it would go. Bang. See bang it was like a crack then it would go saying you know I don't enjoy it or you can't enjoy the experience now I was scared I was scared I was an excited I I think and I sat on anyone for three hours till they left and then they kept putting them dogs you know. And I'm scared I'm always scared of the dogs and I am of the guns. And the big police dogs didn't find you. And they didn't find a gun by a couple times shined like.
They miss me. I was up on this hill. Did you ever have the New York Times or fun. Yeah. When I used to go to dances but I was never really connected with the home. Home was never a pleasant place. I had fun with my mother. I got along with my mom. I love my mother. Who else. Me and my sister fall all the time but I love her to pieces to find my brother in when we find out time but after we got older we became to be we was we was to close out the whole family. I mean this is the one who used to beat up all the time year and then we still had our fist fights and everything after we got older but now today if you know you would say which one is the favorite we was Louis stick up for each other and everything. Like my other brothers and sisters never did that I was always fightin then
my sister father with my brother all the time and it was a pretty hostile household. I remarried each other. Oh we always fight just like all kids will fight but still. But they seem to be in earnest. Yeah and they was happy they were going to play you had a meeting we had our kids fight them. Mostly they do and we fight and argue. Man we'd fist fight like some kids and then it was all over when I was a girl. Learn to to get along with the husband she never saw her parents get along and she never really got along with them. I figure it's all depends on who your husband's going to be like my boy for me and him get along. Sometimes it's fun just to argue. Have our Has it really. Sometimes I just make the argument just has something to do. Then you need to see how he reacts to it now I don't do it like that but I just to star I've met no star are
Indian you know and then will make up and that's fine sometimes but you know you don't want to argue too much. We I was with your mother probably relate with each other too. They argued and they filed. Did you ever think in terms of marrying somebody on the basis of love of them based safari. Yeah my boyfriend I was going to marry him but nobody would give me the permission. Then my mother she told me afterwards that she'd give me the permission. You think you're ready for marriage. I think so. Well let me ask you this. What does love mean in relation to this fellow. What when you say you love him what does it mean. I don't. I don't actually know what love is. I know that I like my whole life. I know I liked him better than anybody that I've ever worked with. And. We went together for a long time and we lived the same
things. We like to dance. And and I love music. I can listen to music day I happened to sit around all day and all night listen to the radio finally and nothing else to do that's what I do. And. I love music and we love we can we dance alike. And ever since we were younger kids we've lived together. I mean the same crowd I love now is the same crowd that I've loved with all my life. And we've always had fun together. We've played We've grew we just grew up together I don't know. And all that oh ever since I was little I had a crush on him you know. But you know when you're little you never want to admit it no. Then finally after we got older we wanted to we didn't go together but we went out together a couple times to movie and then I got sent away. And then just last year I ran away from more games away sat. In. He was he came home on leave say he's in the marines now. And he came home on
leave and you know I didn't know him. He was first surprised you know cause I had really grown up you know and then we start going together and he wrote me and I wrote him after I got caught and went back. We were at each other for a while and then this summer he came home he brought when he found out I was home he brought me a real pretty pearl stuff like a you know and we just started going together again and then we became engaged and we was going to get married but first my mother said no because my mother she has known him since he was little and she didn't actually even remember him to I told her who he was you know. Then afterwards he came up to the house a couple times and met my mother you know talked to she lived in LA and she said to him are you pally with your mother. Me My how to argue. We're more like sisters and mother and daughter are you with everybody. See we are I do it it's not my
mother I don't know. She's not like my father like my mother if I tease my hair you know and she'll say she'll say pull your hair looks nice today my father can and I'll say Why do you not have my stuff on your hand for now that you know my mother I mean she's a woman. She agrees with us now doesn't really like it when you do just like you. Because I don't know I can't say I'm never asked. But ordinarily you can talk a person like you by the way he talks with you and and by the way talks about you and by what he does to you or with you or for you and your father doesn't do things that would indicate that he likes you and he doesn't talk to you the way you talk to a person you like. You know I guess this might be part of what sweep you out of the house and to run away all those times when your mother wasn't your idea because you know you never had a good time you ran away and you know sometimes when I mean way from home it wasn't exciting to think that she had
placed stay with them it was expanding you know you and your friends you can say I love the place I'm looking for you need laughter you know you always get taught me and I whenever I mean way from how I was I was sort of glad to get back to you in a way what you were saying was you wish they had run after you. You didn't wish to have you come out to show you that I liked you enough. Oh they always came after me they only sent police after me. I mean one time when I ran away I left a girl we were sitting on the same Backman and I walked away and I walked up the street and I told our starters lady she was waiting for a bus and I told her son Pardon me I says but I'm running away from home I want to go home. And Susan is here and she gave me 50 cents and told me to catch the bus. The best
driver so I told bus driver he didn't even take my money he gave me let me keep the 50 cents and he says keep it then. He was driving along and then a cop car passed us and he stopped policeman told the policeman and they took me down to number 12. My father says take you to do than our court. But I came up here overnight. Then I went home. He didn't talk to me only didn't say nothing to me for a long time. Props to character. He's always been that he would talk to me then. Then he went I only only place I can goes to school and he picked me up after school take me to school and then finally he let me out how to sit on the porch and then finally I was about to play baseball and stuff again. Then I decided a couple. I was I was late for school. The school you wouldn't believe it to schools right up the street and I could leave a parody and I never make it to five after nine after the lepero. You were saying that you didn't want to go. Now I like school.
I did I like school life and I just didn't I haven't made it late. I would mess around on the way to school act big with the bigger girls. Because we knew these older girls and we sneak a cigarette or something you know and we'd be late and I'd get into school so this one day I decided to play hookey and I got caught. Maybe brought me up here but they let me go right away and I went home. I didn't I said I don't I told him I don't want to go home because I was going to get a vote and my dad told him he wouldn't beat me and then the sooner he got home he beat me anyway. You have been listening to exploring the child's world. He had a program in which the child speaks. Father Francis stuff a professor of sociology education university has outlined the features of this world and conducted the interview with the child. This is been a production of the radio service of Duquesne University in cooperation with U.K. news
sociology department. Technical director Frederick Williams program director announcer. Role demand. This again next week for another in the series exploring the child's world. This program was distributed by national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.
Series
Exploring the child's world IV
Episode
Let the world adjust to me
Producing Organization
WDUQ (Radio station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Contributing Organization
University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/500-1g0hxw42
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/500-1g0hxw42).
Description
Episode Description
This program focuses on a girl who ran away from home and wound up in reform school.
Series Description
Interviews with delinquent and disturbed young people who are encouraged to discuss their experiences and express feelings. To protect individuals, each program is a re-creation of an actual interview using different names and places.
Broadcast Date
1966-08-19
Topics
Parenting
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:29:41
Embed Code
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Credits
Producing Organization: WDUQ (Radio station : Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Speaker: Duffy, Francis
AAPB Contributor Holdings
University of Maryland
Identifier: 66-26-11 (National Association of Educational Broadcasters)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
Duration: 00:29:28
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Citations
Chicago: “Exploring the child's world IV; Let the world adjust to me,” 1966-08-19, University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 28, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-1g0hxw42.
MLA: “Exploring the child's world IV; Let the world adjust to me.” 1966-08-19. University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 28, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-1g0hxw42>.
APA: Exploring the child's world IV; Let the world adjust to me. Boston, MA: University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-1g0hxw42