The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1853-05-26
Take G are.

"lhere, | never did see such a-you
good-for-nothing, hateful boy; believe
you are the greastest plague"
Take care, take care, madam what has
the little fellow done? Take care not to
diSproportion the reproof TO the offence
"Done why he has done nothing but
torment me all day. lie walked me up
with his noise before light, and what with
his jumping, and screenings, and scratch.
ings, there was no peace till he was up
and dressed. And then couldn't enjoy
my breakfast in peace, because his mouth
must be kept full, or there was a sad
noise for an aching head and then since
breakfast, he has been doing nothing else
but tottle round into all conceivable mis-.
chief. He has overset my work.basket,
and tangled my skeins, and unwound my
spools, and lost my needles, and dropped
my scissors down the register, and
thrown my thimble out OF the window.
and tipped over nearly all the chairs, and
torn every book he could lay hold of,
and--there, | don't mean to be cross with
my baby. but | do believe he's the unea.
siest child that ever did live, and-I
know i was never made TO be mother.
and have the care of children. haven't
any tact or patience equal to it. don't
know how these pattern mothers do ii, but
| cant.
That was the colloquy of our overhear
ing, that took place the other day in the
presence of a great iat.iaced, hearty
restless looking little fellow, who had pro-
voked the same by his locomotive and up.
setive tendencies.
Poor mother. thought we, you haven't
learned the genuine secret Of managing
children yet. Your little boy must be ac.
tiue erery moment. If he didn't perpet.
ually do something TO exercise those little
muscles, and deveIope that healthy frame,
he would die. Don't scold at him, and
try to keep him still, but avoid the incon-
venience which arises from his misplaced
activity, by keeping active in The right
place. The great recipe that never fails
for taking care of children pleasantly,
comprises kindness in the voice, patience
in the heart, and ingenuity in the intel.
lect, to contrive methods Of perpetual ac-
tvity. If you put your child into room
full Of ordinary matters, and do not give
him an abundant supply of matters which
are his, you need no more marvel that he
should be mischevously busy in touching
what he ought not. than that he should eat
what he ought not when he is starving,
and you put him where he can get hold
Of only improper viands.
Children have vast imaginations. tits
astonishing how easily a dilapidated
broomstick becomes horse, and any
little bunch of rags doll, and how much
comfort can be taken by the little folks
from full supply of playthingS, of very
humble mechanical artistic pretentions.
But something children must have. If
they cannot fill their hands honestly, il
there is not plentitude Of "traps" which
are distinctly theirs, they will. as mat.
ter OF course, foray among the miscela.
neous of their adult relatives and friends;
and scissors, and thimbles, and spools,
and books, will suffer accordingly.
Mothers must not be too much distress.
ed at having the nursery floor 'littered
up" Better keep cart'load Of play.
things in general circulation over the car
pet, than TO be under the necessity of get
ting bad tempered, and showing it to the
short boys and girls with long memories.
We know Of a boy who was made per-
manently crusty, by his. mothers insane
horror Of anything loose about the room.
Nature would have its way, and as the
little fellow could not satisfy nature in the
ordinary way, he took TO contrivances
which we're stigmatized as unaccounra-
BILE, and intolerably mischievous, and was
scolded accordingly, Until The sweet milk
Of his disposition gradually curled un.
der the influence of chronic thunder.
storm of Illuminated exhorlations to keep
things to right" Things were kept so
ferociously ito rights" that the thing OF
most import, the little immortal mind, was
shaped irresistibly 10 wrong