Time, that soother of resentment as well as Lessener of love, and the perseverance of your daughter in the way you prescribe, may soften your asperities even towards me.
"Jane Talbot"
Charles Brockden Brown
Another frequent destroyer or Lessener of the natural love of parents and children is the conflict between the rightful authority of the former and the wilful impulses of the latter.
"The Friendships of Women"
William Rounseville Alger