Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-05-19
NEVER SHAME CHILDREN,
Sharp Reprimand Is Cruel Thing and
Utterly Destroys Confidence Be-
tween Mother and Child.


1t is often said by watchful lockers
on that they see more OF a game than
do the players of it. Perhaps that's WHY
some of the women with no little ones
of their own have hearts like sunny var
den spots, set open to ali human mites
from stumbling babes TO young lads ana
iassies; and understand them better. ana
read their characters more clearly. than
do their own mothers. whose mental
vision IS sometimes dulled by the selfish
quality of their love because their little
ones are part of themselves.
At all events, | know that / am vastly
grained that children like and trust me-.
For babies share with dogs the power
of divining friendship In a perfect stran-
ger, and every time | see the Crave]y
searching eye of a child soften into trust
fulness, then sparkle into laughter. | feel
that am receiving a clean bill of health
and a certificate of character.
In studying children there are few
things more. interesting than to watch
the unconscious development of sex in
mites of girls. Sometimes it happeDS
that girl of II or II may still be to all
lntents and purposes as much a bow as
IS her brother or male cousin; absolutely
Indifferent to the charm of pretty clothes
to the mystery of the toilette. caring
only to jump, to race, TO run, to slide. to
skate, to coast.
But often AT eight, and even much
earlier, others yield 10 the fascination
of ribbons; will thrill to harmonies i'm
color, aud will dreamily study their own
small reflection in mirrors; and in the
beginning all this is absolutely without
motive or object; they abandon them
selves to some impulse as innocenty
strong as that TO which the rosebud
yields when it softly loosens its tight
rolled petals, making ready for real
blooming.
This dawning of sex feeling is com
mon to all feminine humanity. only some
women forget their childish experiences.
or pretend they do, thinking it indicates
Il certain superiority.
What tender pathos there is in Nine.
Tvette Guilbert's recollection of her first
impulse toward ''prettying-up."
Her poverty was so grinding, and her
poor. pale. anaemic little person so uu-
attractive; her hair so sadly colOrless,
straight thin. fiat; yet stealing to her
mothers glass. she tried on" all her or
naments; pinned odds and ends of rib
hon about her, in piteOus attempt to
beautify her homely little sef-that be
ing the nrst distinct movement of the sex
impulse IN tie heart of one who without
beauty was yet To be recognized as one
of the most fascinating OF women.
My own experience was peculiar. My
mother and | We're in the household of a
most SOuf-ullIlueu Olu MINISTER, VINO
seemed to believe that the only form Of
cheerfulness forgivable by his Lord was
the cheerfulneSs in giving to the church.
He had a large and h"pelessly gloomy
family, and he permitted no child to look
into the evil depths of a looking glass
The only mirror in the house was for the
use of his wife. the one person who
should have avoided the pain of looking
in it.
| had long. long tramp to school. and
TO shorten the way went across lots
and through thick bit of woodland
To take that route | went out the back
way and passed the barn; and there one
wonderful day | found standing i'll the
shadow. well out of sight of the house, Il
great white oak horse pail, filled to the
brim with water-still, black, and Oh
what a perfect mirror
Down ! dropped and studied carefully,
anxiously, what | saw there. White of
apron, the blue of eye. the brown of
hair. l laughed-and then | did not
laugh, for | felt a disapproval of the
width of that laugh, for all my herOines,
to the last one had rosebud lips.
Yet | found some comfort in the little
waves and inlets of the irregular line in
which the hair grew about my forehead
and temples, and after much turning and
preening | resolved not to braid my long
tails so awful hard and tight next day,
and after that / seldom went to SCnooi
without at least a sweeping. all-inclusiye
glance in the water pail, and many
pink or ragged sailor was drawn by its
secret help into my braids just above my
ear.
Now, had ! been put upon the rack |
could have given no reason for my aC-
ton. 1t was simply instnct-a thing 10
be smilingly ignored by elders-and
mothers there are who miSread their ii-
tie ones. and see in these just reachlugs
out for beauty something radically
wrong. an evidence of extreme frivoh'l,
or, wrose still, precocious desire to al
tract attention
And the mother who hints at the a,-
ter, while sharply reprlmandng her niue
one, does cruel thing. Even if jH'
child does not fully comprehend the ar-
cusation. she is vaguely conscious that
her mother thinks her unworthy III some
way. and she is shamed-shamed.
Injustice hurts. hut shame burns iks
Il fire. and the final result of such MS
taken action is i'll some cases the RAISING
of a black cloud of reserve that destroys
utterly all confidence between mother
and child.
Oh, mothers of little Girls-who are
after all baby wOmen-never shame
child,-Cara Morris in PHILADELPHIA Even
ing Bulletin.