Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-08-18
4..e Fears of Nervous Children.

1T is all nonsense for YOU to humor
Helen So lady remarked to Il friend.
whose little girl was pleading not to he
sent to bed alone
II make Eddie go alone. although he
takes on every night, just as Helen does
There is 10 use i'll making such babies OF
children Eddie often begS to be allowed
to leave the light burning but | tell him
he might as well get used to the dark ont.
time as another. | passed by his door
the other night half an hour after he had
gone up to bed and thought heard him
crying. But | hardened my heart and
passed on. l imagine he cried himself to
sleep
A flash akin to anger came into the
eye of the mother, as she took her lit
tie girls hand in hers, saying, as she
did so, My little one never shall cry
herself to sleep from fear, if | can help
it, | know too well the agony which a
timid child can be made to suffer by
such a course of treatment. My mother
thought as you do; and there is a period
in my child life upon which l always
look back with pain and sorrow. A soon
as | had eaten my dinner | began to
dread bedtime. If | went out to play
with other children, the thought was
ever in my mind that soon / must lie
awake in the dark and see all manner
of horrid things creeping by my bed, if
it happened to be moonlight; or hear
sounds that sent the chills up my back
if the room was in total darkness
"Once, during the delirium of brain
fever, brought on. the doctor said by an
intense nervous strain. my mother with
keen remorse, heard rehearsal of my
childish fears. Never shall | forget the
first night that she went up TO bed with
me after the doctor had pronounced mt
well. | had been dreading my usual
bedtime experience, when mother sud
denly took my hand. as / was holding
Helen's. and said that she was going up
to bed with me and would stay until
was asleep. The happiness Of that
night comes back to me now. through
the mist of years; and the soft touch Of
mothers hand in mine as | dropped off
to sleep still fingers in my memory.
There were tears in the eyes Of her
listener when she had finished. Eddie
never shall cry himself to sleep again.
if his mothers hand can charm away
his fears she said, in d voice broken
with emotion
There are other children besides Eddie
and Helen VINO dread the bedtime hour
on account of the nervous fear which ac-
companies 1t. Not only the bedtime hour,
but the lonely time when dark is creep
ing on, is often thus dreaded
| have in mind a man whose hoyhood
days were haunted by a nervous dread Of
going for the cows Just at dusk The
way led through Il piece of woodland in
which the boys vivid Imagination de
tected all sorts of uncanny shapes and
sounds His uncle. with WHOM. he was
staying at the time. a man of little senti-
ment or feeling. would have scoffed mt
the boys fears. and lie knew it, The
dread Of ridcule kept him silent: and
through that long. never-to be forgotten
SUMMER. he fought the demon of fear. as
older people fight their trials. in silence
and alone.
The bravado of a whistle. with which
he would start off on his dreaded errand.
soon died away into faint quaver. as,
with bounding leaps he sped through the
gruesome quarter of a mile of woodland
solitude
Childhood. which should be carefree
and happy. is often overshadowed by this
phanrom fear; and many mothers, who
are otherwise wise aud loving, are
thoughtlessly Indifferent to these very
real trials Of their children.-H Helen NJ.
Richardson, Mothers Magazine.