The Washington herald., 1916-05-15

Children vary greatly In the ages at
which they learn to walk. Some begin
as early as nine months Of age to take
steps. while other perfectly normal.
healthy children will not try to walk be-
fore they are two years old. Mothers,
therefore, need feel no concern If their lit
tie ones seem to be slow in developing in
this respect, though many Of them do
worry, and even try to teach a backward
child by moving his legs for him or
putting him into one of the various
walking machines that are supposed to
assist nature in this important task. One
Of our members wrote me the other day:
Dear Aunt Chatty: I am becoming
distressed about my little Harry not
learning to walk. He Is twenty months
old and has not yet made the slightest
attempt to take a step. He is an awfuIy
heavy child and dead weight on my
arms. 1 am just tired of carrying him
around and so. many times, I put him
down and try to teach him to crawl
get him on his hands and knees and try
to work them for him, but he sprawls
out flat on his stomach and howls until
l have to take him up. l try to make
him stand alone. but he won't DO that.
The minute take my hands from under
his arms he flops down on the floor and
sits there crying as hard as he can.
Some one told me to get one of those
baby walkers She said she had used It
for her children and 1t kept them out of
her way and taught them to walk sooner
than they could learn without 1t. What
do you think of it2''
We have the authority Of great edu-
Gators to condemn the mechanical de-
vices for teaching children to walk.
Kant, in his Pedagogy and Physical
Education" says, "Is IT not strange to
wish to teach a child to walk? As IL
man could not walk without tnstruc-
tIoni" The danger in these things is
that a child may be made bowlegged by
the use of them. He will not try TO
stand alone until his legs are strong
enough to bear his weight. until nature
has fitted him for that step in his de-
velopment, but If we get impatient and
put him on his feet before he Is ready
the tender bones and ligaments may be
strained and perhaps warped out Of
shape by the premature task put upon
them.
One thing we must remember about
learning to walk-the act of walking is
the completion of the great lesson of
balance that every human being has to
learn I believe the taking of steps. the
rhythmical placing Of one foot after
another, is instructive In US all and does
not have to be learned; once we can
maintain our balance we go ahead and
waIki
was impressed with this thought a
short time ago when watching a young
mother playing with her baby. I was
spending an afternoon with her and the
nurse brought the child into the room
The mother took him into her arms and
presently. holding up the baby's little
dress she put him on his feet on the
floor Immediately he lifted one tiny foot
as II about to step.
Look, Aunt Chatty!" the mother sx-
claimed. Hes trying to walk!"
She rose from her chair and holding
baby under the arms she walked him
across the room, not allowing him, of
course, to bear his weight on his legs.
The width of the room they went baby
taking one step after another. throwing
out first one little fat leg and then the
other. with perfect rhythm. as If he had
always known how to walk.
1t Is not the stepping that has to be
learned you see. Preliminary to that is
that nice adjustment Of the human body
to the upright position that balances us
and gives US poise and confidence for
walking, running. leaping. and the many
wonderful athletic feats that cannot be
performed without that confidence. And
so the child practices balancing himself
first. He thrusts his feet against his
mothers body when he Is in her lap. he
pulls himself up by a chair or a table
leg. then he lets go and stands alone,
swaying deliciously back and forth, until
he sinks to the floor with happy gurgle
over his achievement
I saw a little fellow not long ago take
his first steps after months of this pre-
liminary practice. His mother and were
talking together in her bedroom and the
boy was playing on the floor. After
a while we heard a gasp of delight and
looked around to see him walking across
the floor toward us-his first attempt to
go alone. He reached his mothers chair
without falling and buried his face in
her lap, overcome with Joy. He con-
tinued to walk after that, growing
steadier each day on his little feet