The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-02-10
Sons and Mothers.

N1S>N'' '.'N'i~ 80 ''--
Sons and Mothers.
The most intimate relation be-
tween mother and son cannot ig-
more the individual element.
Those women who respect the
personality and the individual
rights of their children have in
fact the most permanent and
vital influence upon their real
character.
Do not ask your boy any per-
sonal questions, such as Where
are you going?' What have you
been doing?:' what are you go
ing to do next??' why can't you
+ keep still a minute?:' Leave him
free, but be to him that force
which shall draw and hold him.
Do not be shocked at anything
he may do or say; or, if you are:
do not let him know it; neither
be grieved. Let your face be
like the morning to him. When
ever he turns toward it let him
find in it evidence that you un-
derstand him and believe IN him.
Let him know that he can open
his heart to you at any perplex-
ing moment without surprising
or giving you pain, or that he
can shut you out, apparently.
without making you sorry. If
you feel shut out keep it to your
self and act as if you knew you
were not, for you probably are
not and will not be if you are the
friend you ought to be. Do not
cry over him, nor in his pres
ence. Nothing disgusts a boy
like tears shed because he has
been acting out what is in him.
Do not fall in the error Of sup
posing you can save your boy
by stress of strong personal in
fuence, and that you must keep
impressing him with your own
experiences and beliefs. Keep
the foundation Of Gods word un.
der every act Of your life, and
be certain to hide yourself from
view behind it.
All through his childhood
there should have been stored
up in your boys memory views,
beliefs, impressions, doctrines,
warnings, promises, which the
Spirit Of God can make use Of.
The unmistakable evidences of a
power in your faith which keeps
you calm, trustful and content to
leave him to work these things
out for himself alone with God
will be worth all the world to
him.
Do not expect him to be more
religious than he is. A greut
deal of trouble accrues from the
effort to compel the boy, who
has come into the knowledge of
evil in his own nature, as well as
in the world, to appear like the
innocent child he was before the
inevitable awakening. T h a t
awakening from the ignorance
of innocence is always the crisis
in a child's life, and if he finds
out that you are better satisfied
with a sham religion now than
with an honest, outspoken ques-
tioning, the probabilities are
that he will cultivate shams for
your comfort, and open his real
! thoughts to those who will ap-
plaud every expression of doubt
as if it were a declaration OF
principle and will know just how
to take advantage Of his honest
questioning to lead him into the
mazes of unbelief. if not of vice.
1t is worse than useless to e1-
pect a boys religion" to mani
fest itself just like that of his
mother or father, but especially
his mother. It is at this point
where so many lose their hold.
They keep alive a peculiar sort
of self-consciousness in the child
and constantly irritate him by
trying to produce feelings and
sentiments which are to him ut
terly impossible. Doubt is often
the result Of trying to produce
faith. The young naturally be-
Iieve it should be taken for
granted by US as it was by
Christ. He recognized their
faith when He said, Except ye
become as a little child ye can
not enter the kingdom of heav-
en-. Doubt must always be
learned. It finds belief already
in the field, and must crowd it.
out to find any place in which to
grow. If you go to work ITO
make your child believe in God,
to trust in Christ; if you keep
nagging him with admonitions
of faith instead Of accepting the
fact that he is only waiting to
see a manifestation Of Christ at
once to recognize. believe in,
love and follow Him, you will
yourself arouse questions and
doubt in his mind. Take it for
granted that he will love and fol-
low Christ if he has had fair
chance to take the first step; for
until he loses confidence in Him
from some cause outside Of him