Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-03-09

and held 1t out of her reach, while
she scolded again and almost cried
with vexation. 1t was plain to me
then what had caused the change in
the girls disposition, why could
not recognize her for the same child.
She was subjected to this good nat
ured teasing on the part of her really
adoring. but thoughtless, uncle every
day in her life. and it was running
her disposition.
Il never allow my children to be
leased" said one mother 81 have a
bachelor brother who started the
same thing when my little ones were
babies. 1t was fun to him. He would
not have harmed the babies for the
world, but he was full of fun and he
loved to tease. l put my foot down
from the first and l never allowed
any of it done to my children with my
knowledge. / consider ii a sin and
an injustice to a child. who takes ev-
erything in earnest, to thwart and
tatalize 1t just for the sake of amuse-
ment to some older person. A mother
can usually make people understand
in a pleasant way that she will not
allow her children to be constantly
teased, and 1t is better even to offend
some thOughtless older person-if he
is likely to be offended in such a way
than 1t is to have the child's dispo-
sition utterly ruined"
THE PROBLEM OF SULKINESS
Sulkiness may be from either one of
two causes; a child. feels that he has
been unjustly treated or he has a
chronic feeling of moodiness against
the world in which he lives. The lat
ter, OF course, may be the result of
the former, or this dark and gloomy
habit Of mind may be consequent on
physical weakness or may be heredi-
tray. Miss Smith quotes an observant
old New England lady who told her
about a child lover Hardscrabble
way" who was born discouraged 4"
There should be careful examination
in each ordinary case of sulkiness to
see that the little person has been
treated with strict and absolute jus
tice. Oftentimes the injustice is ina
ginary and is caused by big idea of
himself and an inability to put him
self in the place of others. This leads
to the chip-on-the-should attitude
which is always ready for trouble.
Whether the injustice is real or i'm
aginary, the child must be immersed
in an atmosphere of sunshine which
it is impossible for him long to cover
himself with clouds. Rarely is it wise
for us to give him the strong tonic of
our vigorous and natural expression
of annoyance at his conduct He
should be given such constant and at
tractive occupation that he shall have
no time for self-indulgence BY this
means we may awaken the child to
the beauty Of cheerfulness and the
joy of being helpful to others. We
must also, as Edward Howard Griggs
tells US, appeal to his ambition for
self-mastery. welcoming and encour-
aging the slightest effort he makes to
conquer himself. We should make
him see that his fits of temper unfit
him for living happily and helpfully
with others. There are times when
we may send the child off alone to
fight out his problem. provided we
can win him to accept this temporary
isolation, not as a resented punish
ment, but as an opportunity to get
control of himself.
THE CHILD AS A TRUTH.TELLER
1t seems not too strong state
ment to say that the child is natur-
ally truthteller, that is, he tells
Just what he thinks. But what he
thinks is not all actually. Richter
was right when he said: During the
first five years children say neither
what is true nor what is false,-they
merely talk. Their talking is think
ing aloud Further at first thew find