Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-09-15
CHILDREN.
JudielOus Letting Alone for ohudr


There IS too much eoddling, and anxious
cale, anu supernuous supervision. and
lhoughsleSS uehlals OF innocent pleasures,
ana general worry and nervousness. in the
policy of many parents touching their obil-
dren. They don't "let them alone enouOb
1.-the, hght-footed, active little ehaps of
nine to twelve years Of age, as brimfuI of
life and play as a kitten, and in about as
much danger Of Overriding" 5" are constant
ly cautioned against running and playing
too much, or climbing trees, or mounting
walls, or clambering over rocks, or doing
anything that a boy loves to do, and has
been doing without accident in a greater
proportion than one to hundred thousand,
ever since the world was set going.
Boys still smaller have their pleasure, and
often their health, sacrificed to their good
clothes. We can hardly conceive of a more
Mretehed state of normal bOy-and the
@ terIh Is meant to include girls-than the
Pe.lO1 Oh white dresses, fancy stockings,
VI I'LL 4 SHOES beautiful sash, and fine ixings
- ue'lL 70 lhe maternal heart. The little
y, -oui al ~ -olu wants to make mud-pies, or
run , Oii lhe Oeach, or chase butterflies, or
draw his cart or roll on the GRASS Rut
noi-he is dressed up an eiean y or5
every sense impels him to eager and health
ful action, be must remain on Cress-narade
1t is hard to see the child sacrificed
to the clothes; and if it would do anv
good, we would hope that all such defraud-
ed and miscared-for little ones might fall
down, or get into "a muss," twenty times
as often as they do.
But even parents wise enough to give
their children plenty Of liberty in health
full and sensible directions, hamper them
too much with petty restrictions, and give
themselves unnecessary trouble in their
care. Especially when out for a summer
vacation, when one part of the family
wants repOse, and the other s.fun. - with al
that includes, should the wise parents know
now not to see or hear everything. The
pniAesophY Of not giving ones mind to it
is rarely better applied than to the care of
children IN such circumstances. The US
ual sharp lookout viii keep the motbereaIl-
ing s'Don't," ''Musn't.'' ssStop, y Geo !,
'GOme, all day long. with occasional lee
lures and disciplinarT cautions thrown in.
and night viii find the children cross. and
the mother ''all worn out" And no won,
derl CO 5l5
Try little judicious letting alone. The
danger IS often in your own nervous fan
cles; the little quarrel viii blow over like a
summer cloud; the chickens will be chased
but not killed; puss and dog can take care
OF themselves; the swing won't break the
sooner for not being watched; the tide
wont come in with a sudden rush because
you are motto scream warnings every ten
minutes; . little fall from the tree or rock
will teach your boy caution more surely
than forty lectures. Leave them alone one
day, and see, to your surprise, perhaps,
that they are actually alive and only health
fn-lly tired at night. Save your '.noes" for
essential things, and say '1yes" promptly
aald cheerfully to the things that seem 50
little to You, but are actually big for chill
dre1. Keep at least one eye and one ear
shut; ;and great shall be your relief.
''HOw did you train your bOYsY7 asked a
friend of Mrs. MeCook, the mother of the
seven brothers who won the name Of 'sthe
fighting MeCOOks'', as generals in the IN
ION army. They were all stalwart, brave,
EeSOlute, seh-reliant, eOoI-head men-sol-
diers, without fear and without reproach.
"Well, l didn't govern them too much"
sad the wise mother. As soon as they were
old enough to get around alone out of
doors, she disereetly heightened their lines.
When they went to play, orlater on, fishing
or hunting, she taught them self-relianee.
by leaving them to rely on themselves.
t'Dont was a word seldom used, and
then II meant but one thing.-do not; as
whoa shOHH mean but one thing to a
bOrse-stOpi The mothers authority and
care were not frittered away on trivial and
transient things.