The Washington herald., 1915-12-24

II will be a rude shock for many of
our mothers, ! fear. tc tell them that
| they have not proper respect Tor
| their children. II you really respect
your children, though, do you think
YOU would make them promises which
| YOU do not keep, threaten them with
punishments you do not inflict. per-
haps even tell them untruths to cover
up your own shortcomings toward
! them? No, dear mothers. that Is Just
where many Of us fall short-lack OF
real respect for our children rs the
loose screw that finally makes the
machinery of our training a useless
wreck.
In many of our talks. I have told
YOU OF the lovely mother j know IN
the South who is doing such wonders
in correcting the faults of her very
wiIIful and hcadstrong little son.
Milton has a sweet tooth that he often
finds very hard to Withstand. One
evening at supper there was a dish
of preserved pears on the table, and
both Milton and his small sister were
given what their mother decided was
a proper allowance. Milton begged Tor
more, but his mother told him that ne
had already had enough and she fear
ed more would make him ILL., one
pear was left in the dish and after
the FAMILY ndO leIt lHe tdoic shhtoh
slipped back into the dining room ana
greedily devoured it.
\ When his mother discovered what
he had done she talked to him very
seriously about his disobediencc, and
in order 10 make him remember his
fault decreed that his punishment
should be no dessert for two weeks
For several days, he sat quietly in
his chair to the close of the meals
while his father ana mother and lit
tie Janet ate their fruit or their pud-
ding. Then the family was asked
one daw to take n meal at the home OF
a relative Milton was seated at the
other side of the table from his moth
or and when dessert came he received
his portion with the others, and with
out hesitation he ate it.
As he walked homeward and the
children were running on ahead. =
said to the mother. did you notice
that Milton ate his dessert with the
others"
Yes" was her quiet reply. Il saw
that he did. but ! did not want to
mortify him before the other children.
Besides, when the punishment was
imposed there was no thought in my
mind that he would take any meals
away from home. ! shall just say
to him tomorrow that the depriva-
ton goes on at nome as DeIOfe untli
the two weeks are up"
There was no desire to humiliate
her child before others-she respects
him too much for that. And By rea-
son of her respect for him that mother
treats her boy with absolute justice.
quality commonly missing from the
category of accounts in our dealings
with our children. but one absolutely |
essential II our punishments are not
to be resented and therefore fail Of
their real effect.
On the train coming north after
the very visit when the incident of
the pear occurred, i sat for several
types of people getting on and on the
hours in the day coach to observe the
cars in that part of the country. At
one little station man and woman
and small boy entered and took the |
seat in front of me. The woman was
thin and anaenic. with light gray
eyes. a sallow skin and discontent- |
ed mouth. The boy was restless. as
all small boys are. and excited. too. !
by the evidently unusual event of a |
ride on the train. He kept jumping |
up and down in the seat. and annoy !
ed his mother so much that she push |
ed him down and made him stand on |
the floor. Then he edged out into the |
aisle and after time grasped the |
arms of the two opposite seats ana |
began to swing his body back and |,
forth between them. Flinging out her |
arm. the mother caught him roughly |
by the shoulder and pulled his hands |
from their hold. Just then the train
gave a lurch around a curve and the |
child was flung to the floor. striking |
his head against the seat. The father |
picked him up and in q sheepish. self |
conscious fashion rubbed the lump |
rapidly forming on the poor little |
forehead. but even then the mother
showed no compunction.
Served him right" she said quite
audibly. so that everybody in the car |
heard her. He is always such bad !
boy!'
Poor little mite, Don't you think 1t
was bad enough for the unhappy