Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-07-11

& "a -dUGUtN Uut OF pure pPrNei st
il II ness. Ii he is in good health
he will be good tempered
( nine times out OF ten. Generally bad
temper means mistaken feeding, bad
management or disease. Occasionally
a child who mOpeS or has unexplained
/ fits Of CRYING has an unequal balance
| and should be watched very closely
| and taken to doctor if the trouble
| continues
| In training child 1t is most impor
! tant to try to regard him and his do
! iu@S rs matters quite apart from your
| self. DO not. for instance, think "he
has given me II great deal Of trouble
and III punish him for it," but try to
consider whether the trouble was caus-
ed by a bad intention on the child's
part or whether it arose merely from
rarceSsness or i'll health.
Take a case In point 1t is not wrong
for little boy to dislike having his
face washed Nearly all children hate
being washed. They have an Unborn
love of dirt which. though very dis
agreeable, is by no means wrong. So
do not slap and shake a child when he
makes fuss about being washed, pro
vided that the fuss ceases as soon as
he understands that he Is really veXing
you by making it.
But if he says he has washed his face
when he has done nothing of the kind
or if he refuses to wash 1t after being
clearly told to do SO. or II he goes on
complaining about II after you have
made him understand that you wish
him to stop, then the case becomes very
different. He is really naughty boy
and must be scolded or punished, not
because he is giving you trouble. but
because he Is doing what he knows to
be wrong
Many children have little ways"
which though exceedingly tiresome are
quite Innocent A little girl may be
so clumsy figured that she upsets ev-
erything she touches But 1t is not fair
to laugh at her when she upsets an
empty cup and then scold her for over
turning full one on the clean table
cloth. You must either blame her for
both accidents or not blame her at all.
Another child is nervous in the dark
and wakes up screaming at night. If
you pet and comfort him on Tuesday
when you have plenty of time to spare
you must not blame him for screaming
again on Wednesday. when you have
visitors and do not want to be bothered
with him.
A tot may say something pert to her
father and win "a laugh by 1t; then you
must not blame her for repeating the
selfsame thing to prim friend or rel.
alive. who Is scandalized. The fault,
II there was Il fault, Is no worse in one
case than in the other. though circum
stances have made 1t seem much more
apparent
Children are very Just little souls
and they always know when they have
been unfairly treated. II child once
gets into his head the notion that
mother either scOlds or kisses him &C.
cording to her own state Of mind at
the moment he will never afterward
respect her authority. All that he will
do is to keep out Of the way when she
seems ''cross" or brag and fb alter.
nately about his doings in q way that
is almost bound to ruin his character.
But If he knows that mother is always
fair to him he will respect and love her
and try to please her. SO that naughti-
ness and punishment become the ex.
ception rather than the rule in the
house over which she rules SO wisely
and firmly
There would be fewer spoiled chill.
dren in the world If those who had the
care OF little ones understood better
where naughtiness begins and ends, so
many children are habitually punished
or scolded for tricks which though very
annoying are in themselves quite
harmless. while other children are al
lowed to commit really serious faults
without reproof just because those
faults do not bring any disagreeable
consequences upon their elders.
Don't try to break" child's will
II you insist too much upon blind
obedience and continue to exact 1t
long after 1t should have been relaxed
the child has no opportunity of acquir
ing self control or initiative This is
why children accustomed to too great
severity and restraint often turn out
badly when they have to act for them
selves Either they are broken spirit
ed Or having felt too heavy a hand
on the reins. they rush into excuses.
Don't prevent child from learning
oy experience. If he will touch q hot
bar or jug Of boiling water when he
mas been told not to. let him do it
once He will not try second time
VI course YOU must not carry this prin
clple too far. so as to hurt him serious
~. but let him gain experience for him
SER Whenever 1t Is possib,e with |