Williston graphic., 1918-12-26
TRAINING CHILDREN
BY Miss Harriet Francis Carpenter

BY Miss Harriet Francis Carpenter
A young mother recently related an
occurrence which had repeated itself
on several occasions in her home and
which she had found most trying. She
said my children 60 and get their
stockings and tie Knots in them in
connection with game they play,
and often when l start to dress the
children l can't find single stocking
that hasen't been tied tight several
times. One hot summer afternoon, l
lost patience. Anne l exclaimed to
the eldest, why do you cause me
such annoyance, day after day?'
what are mother for?' she asked,
and l saw that she was right"
l gravely asked this thoughtless
mother if it would not have been bet
ter for Anne to aid in the task of un-
tying the stockings, being, led, by
sharing the toll, to feel grateful for
the many times her mothers patient
hands had done it for her.
"Oh, she couldn't unite them," she
answered, with a shake of her head.
Had she tried, and found it i'm
possible, she might, of her own ac-
cord, have stopped knotting the stock
ings," replied.
"But l wanted to take the children
to pay visit and there wasn't time
enough to let her try!"
"Then oughtn't she to have for
feited the pleasure of going with
you?"
She stared aghast: then, with a
plying look, burst out: "It's easy to
see that you are not mother! No
mother could do that-her mother
heart would not let her!"
l was silent for moment, then re-
membering that physical and spirit
ual motherhood are not necessarily
embodied in the same person, ex-
planned without impatience the effect
such indulgence would have on the
child, and pointed out that the most
loving mother takes as great pains
to train her children's characters as
to provide for their bodily wants, and
that the greatest love is that which
is most far-seeing. But to the end
the mother stoutly held to her con-
ception of the "mother-heart."
A scene observed at later hour in
the day, revealed this mother, re-
gardless of her "mother-heart," in a
fit of ill temper administering a
violent shaking to the said Anne.
"Nora, "your namesake spoils all
of our rides in the new car. She just
will 60, and then she wants to come
home Immediately, and kicks and
screams all the way. Sometimes we
set her out on the road and ride on,
but she knows that we will have to
come back, so that doesn't do any
good! You're a Kindergarten Nora,
you must break her of it."
Leave her at home until she shows
that she understands that she should
not spoil the enjoyment Of others" ."
advised the aunt. But this the moth
er uatly refuserd to do, and the mis-
cradle rides continued. J..
Some time later tn emother went
on a visit and the aunt was left in
charge of her refractory niece. l
haw her riding in the automobile sew
eral times without the offender. Then
one day the small figure sat in its
usual place and in the aunt's arms
was the two-year-old brother. They
called at the door, "Are you having
a pleasant outing?" l asked little
Nora. eyes," she beamed, II used
to spoil our rides; now I'm showing
little brother how to make everybody
have good time"
I'VE had to go without Nora for a
few days." remarked the aunt quiet
ly, "but now she is trying to think
cf others as well as of herself"
! In this case the aunt was more
truly the mother than the child's own
parent For she understood that
mother-love should be something more
than the qualification Of a passion
and this insight gave her the courage
to face the child's passing disappoint-
ment for the benefit of her future
welfare.
; What seems of slight importance
at the moment assumes quite dlf-
ferent aspect when considered in the
light of its future results.