15 Sep 1943
John Griffin to Parents / Louisville, KY
Dear Mother and Dad
As you see I am here in Louisville. I have been in [a] hearing all day and until 8:30 tonight. It has been the toughest and most trying case I've yet handled. I had the full burden of responsibility as the case was one where the government was the chief party of interest. When we finished I received several compliments from others at the hearing as to how I had handled the case, so I feel that it has been well worth the strain, etc. I really feel though like I'd done a day's work tonight.
Thanks very much for the money sent along to buy Paul a present. Dot intends to buy him a suit, coat, or something. Elsie sent him a set of musical (I should say squeeky_ blocks that fit into each other and he really enjoys them. We did not do much in the way of a birthday celebration. It was the day we got back from New York. Dot's mother had made him a birthday cake and we celebrated by eating dinner up there. Paul is awfully hard to teach and has a will worse than Bob and that is saying something. He just wraps his grandmother around his little finger and that despite the fact that he does not say one word (except Daddy). We have been trying to teach him not to wet and don't have much success. He is a good eater but lately has been refusing his milk. So we have been insisting on his drinking his milk before getting anything to eat. It is just one big battle and I haven't decided yet who has won. He gets by with anything, by his smile and he surely has a sunny disposition. We are hoping that we don't ruin his good disposition in trying to train him to do the things he should do.
We were surely glad to hear about Don and Madge's new baby boy [Dennis]. I am surely glad it was a boy - whether they are or not. They will be too as the years pass. I was sorry to hear that Madge had such a hard time of it. It is too bad that they don't have the doctors and facilities there in Ogden to prevent her from going through all that. Dot has had two and didn't suffer as much with either of them as she did when she had her tonsils out. I intent to write Don soon and congratulate him on the new arrival.
Bob has started school and was put in the afternoon class with the more advanced group. He wrote out (himself) the whole alphabet for the teacher the first day. He likes school a lot, and it gives him something to keep his mind occupied. He is growing up both mentally and physically and it is sometimes hard to realize that I have a son so big. The other day I took a day off and took him up in the Washington Monument, up to the Zoo, through the National Museum and the Smithsonian Institute. He asked a million questions and I was about worn out when the day was done, but he seemed to enjoy it a lot.
Well I guess this is enough about me and mine. It is getting late and so I better turn in. Write often. - John.
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