Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-05-25
FEARS OF CHILDREN.


1t has long been known and quite
generally acted upon by Intelligent
parents that it is "A great wrong anC
injury to children to make them
afraid of the dark, Of the future. or
of the unknown in any realm, by
telling them tales calculated to rouse
their apprehension.
Nowadays. we seek to teach tho
child to hope and trust, the youth to
be of good courage, the man or wo-
man to he strong and fear not.
1t is known, too, that many Of the
nervous diseases of children, which are
the most difficult to control and
cure, can be traced to some instance
of fright The fact is that the lnno-
cent little child seems often to be
born TO fear. The fears of children,
are, as a matter of fact, more in
stinctive and less rational than those
OF older people, and each one of them
IS a chapter in the long and terrible
struggle of the race toward perfec-
ton They should never be useless
~ fIiHiEtu ny ldltS ttldl IflBnItT
them. or sights that shock their sem
slbillty.
DR. G. Stanley Han, of child study
fame, has found that children fear
thunder and lightning more than
anything else; next come reptiles
strangers and darkness, fire. death,
domestic animals. disease, wild ami
mails, water, ghosts, insects. rats and
mice, robbers, high winds, dreams,
cats and dogs, cyclones, solitude,
drowning, in the order named. AL
together there were 29S objects that
children We're reported to be afraid
of. Girls fear everything more than
boys, with the exception of water
climbing. and appearing shy or BASH
full. Again the fears Of boys decrease
after the fifteenth year, while girls'
fears are greatest from fifteen to
eighteen.
One psychologist thinks that this
commandment should be written in
large letters and placed over every
crib in the land; do not under any
condition frlghtcn your chiIdl" The
child's struggle for life is severe
enough as it is; fear is an unneces-
sary handicap.
Fear is contagious. Never show
signs of it before the child but if
he manifests signs OF fear, set about
TO remove its causes and expression.
Courage" says DIR, Hall, has
been defined as presence of mind in
the face of danger. and cowardice as
absence of mind in the face OF dan
ger. The child who has been en-
couraged to do things, to test its
budding powers, who has not been
unnecessarily suppressed, will almost
of necessity be courageous
If tho child is afraid of the dark.
walk with 1t assuringly in dark
places. and convince 1t that there is
nothing to be feared. If later it
shows fear Of thunder and lightning,
or wind or fire. explain to it as far
as possible the cause of these phe-
nomena: give it the knowledge that
casteth out fear. A word of assur-
ance or encouragement is often suf-
ticicnt. for courage is also contagious,
Let the child get confidence in IT.
self. for without 1t, 1t must neces-
sarily be timid. For some OF the
many "don'ts' which are constantly
dinned into the ears, let mothers oc-
casionally substitute n few dos"
since It is by doing and daring that
the child develops.
Never tell ghost stories or reclte
the details of murders and other
horrible crimes In the presence OF
children. Neither should they hear
fervid descriptions OF the wrath OF
nm angry God or of the pnngs OF
hell in the hereafter. On the other
hand, rs the Doctor points out, the
little prayer said at night by chill
dren. which calls 10 their mind the
thought OF II kindly Presence watch
ing over and caring for them, Is the
best antidoto to the heritage OF bar
barrie horrors that the child brings
with IL into the world.