The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-11-07

that their own welfare as well as their
own comfort depended upon obeyIng me
and behaving properly
Once a child Is brought to realize
this, it will fall into proper ways. !
made IT rule never to punish my
children severely, but for wrong doing,
I deprived them OF some pleasure. L his
subjected them to no indignity,a as thrash
inus sometimes do with sensitive chill
dren, and the lesson Is better learned,
find.
1 required the truth at all times and IN
all circumstances, and | did not punish
a child that admitted it's transgres-
sions. Children, / have found, are very
sensible, and even at an early age are
open to conviction, if one will only take
the time and pains to explain But alas,
so many mothers are too busy!
Irrational Punishments
Grave. very grave, mistakes are made
by parents IN modes OF punishment Tor
| trivial miSdoings. A harsh word,
/ roughly spoken; a hand laid none too
gently on a little shoulder, a push or a
Slap; all are calculated to impress a
child with its own insign1hcance, TO
| create in the little brain the thought that
| there is an inequality between child and
| parent that may never be overcome,
When a child thinks thus-and who
can say what deep thoughts enter little
ones mind at times Pit commences to
| draw within itself, to live its own life
apart from its parents.
With this comes self-pity, and. after
ward, each reprimand, no matter how
| thoroughly deserved, IS regarded as but
another engagement In the perpetual
| impossible fight between forces hope
/ Iessly and unevenly matched. Thus
4 little by little, the boy or the girl
/ grows away" from those who should
| be his or her chief companions and con-
fidants.
The ChiId's Brain
Little beginnings Imaginary as il
may seem, it is not impossible that some
great crimes have had their true origin
IN unjust chastisement meted out to Z
weIl-meaning child Small things affect
| US older folk; how much more must
they affect a growing, sensitive BRAN
open to new thoughts and new ideas
every instant of its existence, and put
ting on each act observed a construction
naturally narrow, and based, in many
cases, purely on sentiment and seldom
on reason? For children, all, are sentl-
mental, and their reasoning, If reason
| they do, has for its objective point an
| ideal
| These little brains of our children,
which treasure kind word so long and
retain as carefully the memory OF a
wrong-some day they will have to
think out questions large with import
and on which the welfare OF not one
person alone, but of many hundreds,
may depend.
How great then is the responsibility
/ that rests with mothers and fathers
who are charged with the training OF
| these brains! How necessary that we
| should try to see two points of view at
! the same time and always, so that no
| vagrant train of thought may be started
in the little head
/ [ seldom had to resort TO corporal
punishment, I am very glad to say
| though I admit that there are occasions
| when il IS necessary My children were
close to me, and I think they I'M
/ derstood me from the time they could
/ understand anything at all,
If they misbchaved and they saw thai
l was hurt OF sorry, they were sorry
too, and that was quite sufficient pun
! ishment. for none of them would trans
gress again in the same way, as long a.
the memory of my sorrow at their &C
lasted. They all learned TO know wha
was passing through my mind when