The Colorado statesman., 1919-02-15
CONTROLLING CHILDREN
BY MRS. ISABEL S. WALLACE.

unused n long Illne. a HouSt anu Au'
niture with few cntout dollies make
such busy little girls. After all 1t Is
the simplest thing that makes children
happiest.
When nj my mothers nome one
time my little girl folded and cut
house. windows, doors and all. Her
grandmother was delighted and the
little one said "We1l keep II to show
grandpa and I guess he'll say ] am
smart Tottie" With little thought
mothers can learn how to fold ana
teach their children 10 fold number
OF things. 1t is excellent practice in
accuracy and neatness, besides afford
ing ;he joy of making something.
In regular kindergarten all the
sets of blocks. which are of different
, sizes, are kept in hoXes with covers,
and each child puts his away carefully
and correctly or else the cover
will not fit Then all the sets are
collected and packed in closet by a
few of the children. Children love TO
help keep things in order and enjoy
doing 1t.
At home. also, child should have
| place for his toys. A playroom Is
ideal. but II this cannot he provided.
some place surely can he found. even
! in small fiat, which n child may
have for his very own to keep his
toys in. From the age of sixteen
months I insisted that my little girl
put her toys away neatly. We began
1t as play. and now it is a habit. OF
! ha Ic in
| of n hurry to do something else. but
the toys are put away in the end. We
made her large drygoods box. stand
ing up on end. My husband put cheap
castors on it and two shelves across
! Il. There all the small toys are kent.
The blocks have their own boxes: the
small things have baskets; and cray.
ons, pictures and papers GO into
box with a cover. All of them fit into
the shelves: also the animals, dolls
trunks, washtubs and many other such
things.
Teaching Good Order.
One day when my child was not at
home, little girl came in for visit.
II took her into the playroom and left
her there very happy. After short
time she went home. When l re-
turned to the playroom found every
thing sc scattered over the floor that
there was hardly room TO walk. The
next time the little girl came, l had
talk with her. l have made 1t rule
and it is a hard rule to keep, for some
mothers are offended, that II a child
will not help put away the toys care
| l. te 1tr IN homo
then he cannot come back TO play
with that toy again until he is ready
TO do what L ask. My little girl was
playing at>a neighbor's n few days
later. When Il was time to come home
went for her. The children were
cutting out pictures and had made n
dreadful muss on the table. chairs
and floor. l told my little girl TO help
pick them up before putting on her
things. The mother said: "Oh. that's
all right, Sadie never picks up scraps !;
I do that. So don't make your little
girl do it." And my child smiled and
calmly said: Its all right. mother,
I don't have to pick up here Then
I told the mother about my rule ana
explained that 1t wasn't mere cranki-
ness on my part, but desire TO form
good habits in the children.
All children are naughty at times
Hand II is so hard to know how to deal
iustly with them. One day when
was very busy my little girl came In
from playing in the garden. suppose
she was tired and hungry, but she did
not herself know what was the mat
ter. She began to try new KIND OF
naurhtiness, lying down on the floor.
kicking and screaming and saying
naughty things to me. I was amazed,
md quite puzzled as to how to- treat
such a proceeding. At first I ignored
her, but she kept it up. asked-a Few
questions in n kindly way, hut that
seemed to fan the flame. | was busy,
in a hurry, warm and tired and began
to get very angry.
Controlling Temper.
Nevertheless realized that If could
NOT control my temper, | could not ex-
meet n five-year-old child to do so. So
Wondered over what to do. Finally
went and picked her up and carried
ber TO chair where we both sat. or
fonped down, as it was no easy task
carrying kicking. crying mass of hu-
manity. ] never said word. but
rocked her quietly. After little while
she stopped, and I began to sing soft
Iv. She almost went to sleep. Then l
knew she was @ ,iply over-tired and
4 7 was so thankful that I had not in
dulged my own temper In any way.
After a short time we had lunch and
then she went. to b for her after
noon nap. She slept hours. repairing
the wasted energy and her nerves in
blessed sleep. She has never tried
that trick again.
| find n word of praise goes so much