The Irish standard., 1908-02-29
THE CHILD AND THE HOUSEHOLD
Of tho Latter There Are Two Kinds
Adjustable and Unadiustabie.

From an excellent paper in the Sc
ries OF Ernest Hamlin Abbott, con the
Training OF Parents,' in the Outlook,
we quote these suggestive passages:
1.-THE difference between household
adjusted to a child and child adjust
ed to a household is the difference be-
tween unstable and stable equilibrium
Quietness, peace, and an aspect of re-
pose may be found in both cases; but
in the one case every new movement
threatens an upset.
There are two kinds of households,
the adjustable and the unadjustablc
A child, let lis say, wakes in the morn
ing. If he is accustomed to an adjus-
table household. there is an end Of
sleep for those who have the care OF
him. For the sake of peace to tho
others some one has to keep him
quietly amused until the time of ris-
| ing. That some one VIC all can guess,
Is the mother At breakfast, it is the
child that is first served. and when
he is finished with eating it is his new
demands that interrupt the meal. The
mother does hcr household tasks un-
der the child's supervision. In order
to avoid the necessity Of leaving them
to rush upon every demand to the
nursery, she manages to have him in
the room with her. Tethering him to
the leg of table, barricading him be-
hind chairs. occupying his mind now
with one bauble, now with another,
she succeeds. with the exercise of an
acquired versatility. in securing for
him safety from harm. for the furni-
turc measurable immunity from DAM
age, and for herself a compare lively
noiseless morning. When the time for
his nap arrives, she, as the available
member of the household, leaves ey-
crything else and puts him to sleep.
After he wakes and is dressed, a caller
arrives. For an instant forgetful, she
starts to leave the young ruler A wall
recalls her. gurgle of satisfaction
rewards her for taking him in her
arms. The visitor is now q part Of the
household and must be properly adj
justed. At the sight of the caller the
baby makes violent protest Then
comes the period of coaxing, unsntis-
factory to the child, troublesome to the
mother, and disconcerting to the guest.
1rreconcilable the youngster is hand
cd over to some one for the nonce, and
the visitor concludes the call and de-
parts to the accompaniment of mourn
ing. The dcspot is easily restored to
good humor as soon as he sees again
his favOritc subject. The one annoy-
ing episode Of the day is easily set
down against the account. not of the
child. not Of his mother, but OF the
caller. That black gown she wore
many time does duty as an explana-
ton for what is really the product Of
an adjustable household. Aside from
the more immediate and obvious dis
advantages of the adjustable house
hold, there is this: that it hardly fits
the child for living in an unadjustablc
world.
"The child who grects the morning
in an adjustable household finds at
hand enough to amuse him until It is
time for his bath. His mother has not
led him to expect anything else re-
member a little fellow whom used to
see a few years ago. or delicate or
ganism. decidedly strung, very
sensitive to sound and motion, he
needed ae much attention as any well
baby ever did. Regularly every morn
ing, after giving him his breakfast and
getting him ready for the day, his
mother took him to the nursery. left
him on the padded floor, gave him his
few blocks, and left him to his devices.
She was free to go downstairs then
about her work. She was not beyond
earslot. When the sun was high, she
wrapped him up well, put him in his
carriage, and, wheeling him out on
the porch, left him again alone. In
the afternoon the process was re-
vcrscd: first the sunny porch, then the
quiet nursery. Times for play with
him came to an end according to her
judgment, not his. Because she loved
him and understood her vocation AS
mother, she established in this nervous
child the habit of cncounterine the
world with placidity. This is the way
Of the mother who determines that her
household shall be unadjustable''