She demanded a great deal from her children, insisting they participate in activities she considered necessary. These rules irritated Ernest; as a young boy, he wanted to be involved in sports, pursue his hobbies and devote his time to things that interested him. It caused growing animosities with his mother, resulting in him withdrawing from the family. In later years, Ernest’s friend Major General Charles T. Lanham said that Ernest was the only man he knew who really hated his mother.
