The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-01-15
Make the Children Happy.

Make the Children Happy.
1t takes but very little to make child
happy. A little time, little pains,
little money, or little effort is ali that
isrequisite. And On the other hand it
takes but little to make child very un-
happy. A little neglect. little unkind
word, little hur:, or little disappoint-
ment are to the child as great trial and
as bitter grief as it's heart can bear.
Why do we SO often hear children cry
ing and fretting9 Why SO often see sad
gloomy looks in place of the bright smile
and laughing eye2 Is it that mothers do
not love their children2 Are they care
less or Indifferent to their happiness9
Not at all. Crying children often have
tondest mothers. No; it is partly be-
cause mothers do not realize that chill
| dren are so sensitive, so easily made hap
Ply, or unhappy; and partly because they
| do not know how to make their children
happy, or rather they do not know how
t. keep them happy, to cultivate within
them habit of cheerfulness. ~.
1
with new toy; but how soon he tires Of
it! Thus fond parent who has spent a
great deal CT money in buying a va
riety of toys for his child is surprised to
find that in u very short time the very
toys that at first seemed to afford such
delight, are all thrown aside with disgust,
while the child relapses into listlcssness
or fretfulness, saying by its manner, II
have nothing to do or in other words, II
have nothing to interest me-"
The young mother feels discouraged;
she feels as if she had no more money to
spend in playthings, and probably feels
as if she had no time to spend from more
necessary employments to devise for it
new amusements. The child grows day by
day more fretful and demands more time
and attention. @'.H. ....
What is to be done2 Have you ever
heard of a minister's turning over a bar
rel of old sermons and beginning to
preach from the other end? The people
think them as good as new. Just SO with
playthings. Suppose child has forty
picture books and plavthings, more or
loss pack them all up in box and put
them away out Of sight, upon some high
, shelf in closet where the child cannot
see or get at them; leaving out the child
only two or three Of its newest and favor
:, tie toys; then as soon as you see he be-
gins to grow weary of these, pack them
E away, and take from the closet, one
at a time, those long ago hidden away
and almost forgotten by the child, and
they will be found just as good as new
zone plaything at time is enough
, One is just as good as dozen to make
, child happy" SO said my bright, sun
, ny-faced friend, Mrs. Ely, to me, just
! before Christmas, and on trying the ex.
pertinent, find it true. My little three
, year old Charlie was growing tired of his
playthings when Mrs Eley gave him
:, Noah's ark full of animals, that her chill
dren had long discarded. True some OF
the legs Of the animals were broken
! but what cared Charley for that? It was
= to his happy little imagination priceless
treasure worth its weight in gold. Fol
. weeks it was to him an intimate source O.
+ delight. ... .as .. ..
A child who looks with utter indlf
4 ference upon box of blocks fee 8 sud
- denly inspired with new interest whe1
:: he sees his mother piling them up int
:; tower. He exclaims, "Let me do it!
. and amuses himself long time trying t,
y initiate mother. The box of dominoe
y ! seem to the little three years old useles
r till he sees his father arranging them o.
- the table: or standing them up in rov
" and giving push to the last with hi
finger, sending the whole line tumblinI
e over each other. The penny is valueles
II. ~,
\ little tin tub is 90 source of pleasure til
y, mother ties string into one of the han
- dies and draws the little doll or dog
~ ride upon it about the room; then 1t is
70 very different matter; with eager en-
10 thusiasm the child enters into the pla
~ and amuses himself with zest, trying
> to do what he has seen mother do, fc
IS several days, perhaps; then mother mus
# take a few minutes to devise somethin
~ new.-Anna Hozuo1te. en- Household.