Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-05-22
REPRESSION AND FAULT
FINDING.

As41A At4lAo4o4N A1vO l. - JILL
FINDING.
Life for some children is one per-
petual ''don't." Our sympathies
were recently enlisted for Freddie, a
little fellow of five, who had been
kept within doors during long storm.
His mother, gentle woman, sat quiz
etly sewing, as she chatted with
friend. ''Don't do that, Freddie, -
she said, as the child's whip handle
beat slight tattoo on the carpet.
The whip dropped. A black castle
rose-and fell with crash. ''Don't
make a noise, Freddie" The boy
turned to the window, the restless
fingers making vague pictures on the
damp pane. "Don't mark the win
dow, Freddie interposed the moth
er; and, Don't go into the hail.,
she added, as he opened the door to
escape. The ''don'ts'' continued at
brief intervals. At length the small
man, seating himself with a pathet-
ically resigned air, remained perfect
" still for about minute. Then,
with a long-drawn sigh, he asked,
''Mamma, is there anything that
can do?'
Sometimes don't seems a mere
mechanical utterance. unheeded by
the child, unenforced by the parent.
Don't do that, my dear" and the
little girl, tossing over the fine en-
cravings on friends table, pauses
an instant. The mother goes on
talking with her friend, the child re-
sumed her occupation, and no notice
is taken of it, except, after awhile,
prohibition is carelessly repeated,
only to be ignored. A forgetful
mother makes a forgetful child. Au-
thority is weakened by reiterated
commands.
Too often the .sdon'ts" are unde-
servedly sharp and short. Activity
is the normal state of every healthy
child; and half the reproofs he re-
ceives are really because he has no
sufficient vent for his overlooking vi
tality. Excessive restraint irritates,
and continual watching worries a
! child. His training must be efficient !;
but it should not so pursue his minut-
est acts as to keep him in constant
fear and fret, OF lead him to depend
on his mothers ''don't'' as a guide.
! Broader instruction is needed; and a
wide distinction should be made be-
! tween thoughtful care and harassing
! watchfulness.
Let the children learn by expe-
rience in the loving atmosphere of
home without fear of harsh criticism
or fault-fnding. Home is the place
for experiment and failure as well as
for success, for sympathy and en-
couragement quite as much as for
discipline. Guide their unsteady
feet, but sometimes let them 90 alone,
even though they may fall. Then
pick up the little stumblers; but be-
ware of blaming them, or laughing at
their childish mistakes. A thought
less laugh may rankle in the heart of
a sensitive child for months-may
never be wholly forgotten.
Parents should carefully distin-
guish between willful disobedience
and accidents, or faults resulting
from activity, ignorance, and nat
ural desire for investigation.
Little four year old Harry while
playing in the yard one summer day
was stung by bee. A couple of
months afterwards, noticing at break
fast the use of mustard by the family,
he asked for some.
''You would not like it." said his
mother, never thinking that such a
reason seldom satisfied child.
eyes | shall, replied Harry
flames Gan elder brother) likes it.
.Oh, no; you would not like it.
But the boy persisted that he
should like it. So his mother, wise
ly or unwisely, put some mustard
upon his plate, intending to let him
try little in the usual way. But as
she turned to replace the mustard
pot in the castor Harry put the whole
quantity into his mouth without a
bit of anything else Half fright
ened, the mother saw him bravely
struggling to master the pungent
mouthful. Firm as rock he sat,
winking desperately, as big tears
gathered in his eyes, but never utter
ing a sound, and resolutely swallow
ing the whole of it.
A few minutes afterwards the fell
low bravely propounded to the older
brother the following question !:
.'.James, which had you rather do,
eat all of that''-indicating the mus