Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-09-19
PARENTAL TEAMWORK
By H. Addington Bruce

XX7HEN two or more persons are called upon
w to work together to achieve the same
end everybody knows that the closer
they work in unison the better the results OBJ
tanned. And, manifeStly, the more important
the end in view the greater the need for team
work
Now, there can scarcely be a more important
end than the successful upbringing of child
by its parents Yet how often do we find
parental teamwork sadly lacking7 And with
what deplorabe consequences
When the lack of teamwork is extreme even
the health Of the child may be severely af-
fected. l call to mind numerous instances re-
ported to me by medical friends.
In one, which may be cited as typical,
little girl was brought to famous specialist to
be treated for uncommon nervousness. She
was described as abnormaly moody, irritable
and timd, afflicted with night terrors and
bursting into tears at the slightest provocation
or without provocation at all.
The specialist searched in vain for
physical causes of nervousness But as he be-
came better acquainted with his little patients
parents he realized that there were in the fam
lily life abundant causes for nervousness.
themselves irritable, impuISive people, the
parents differed in their ideas of child training.
one was over-indulgent, the other over-severe
orders given to the child by one parent would
be countermanded by the other
Thus the poor little Girl never knew what
10 DO And whatever she did was pretty sure
to be wrong from the viewpoint of one or the
other parent. ReproacheS and nagging alter
mated with kisses and caresseS.
Small wonder the child was emotionally I'M
stable, nervouSly overweight Small wonder
the specialist frankly told her parents that he
could do nothing for her unless they would
either send her away. to boarding school or
agree to carry out Fundamentally his recon-
mendationS for her Saner rearing.
Juvenile nervousness, persisting into adult
lite, is common product of failure in parental
teamwork. When the miSmanaged child is too
tough to yield to nervousness, unpleasant char
acter traits are almost certain to crop out
eve must remember" says the specialist
Beverly Tucker, "that it is socially and
hygienically wrong to allow child to be either
sympathetic or too cruel, too demonStrative
or too reserved, overphegmatic or overanxiouS
oVercredulouS or oversuSpiciouS, or emotional
to any extreme.
eve should also bear in mind that the child
is an initiative creature in whose presence we
should hold weakness in check if we expect
to have proper influence. Good advice must
be backed by good example"
And the example needs to be set by both
parents.
thing to the mother as happens frequently. 1t
is not enough to avoid unharmonouS action
by the parents There must always be CO.
operative action real teamwork, if the goal of
efficient child development is with any Ger
tainty to be reached.
Copyright, 1910, by the Associated Newspapers
"My darling" said fond mother who he
lieved in appealing to children's tender feel
ings instead of Furnishing them, eff you are so
naughty you will grieve mama so that she
will get i'll and have to lie in bed in a dark
room and take nasty medicine and then she
may die and have to be taken away out to the
cemetery and be buried and YOU"
The child had become more solemn, but an
angelic smile overspread his face at his moth
er's last words and throwing his arms about
her neck, he exclaimed.
"Oh, mama, and may sit beside the coach
MANI"