The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-10-14
PARENTAL DEVOTION
MAY BE EXERCISED
BY E. NJ. Underhill

Why is 1t that so many OF our
naughtiest children belong to parents
who are devoted to them and who
gladly make personal sacrifices for
their little ones? Surely parental de-
votion is common virtue, yet the
number of spoiled children whom we
all have encountered leads US to wonder
whether some people have not miss
taken idea of what constitutes paren-
tai devotion. Have the parents of such
children an honest desire to develop
the best in them and an interest to
study and apply good material on child
training?
There is the parent, for instance,
whose child is never forced to do any,
thing he doesn't want to do from going
to Sunday school to washing his
hands, This is the child who later de-
velops into the little monster who will
argue every simple request or COM
mand ad nauseam, and when he grows
up is able to reason himself into a
righteous frame Of mind over any
law he may see fit to disregard. Par
ents of such child fail to realize that
to teach him first to obey Immediately,
unquestioningly and absolutely is the
most valuable training they can give
him and best preparation for a useful
career.
No parent should have to go thru
hours of coaxing and discussion over
the habitual activities of the child's
day such as getting up in the morning,
going to bed, dressing, eating, putting
playthings away, performing house.
hold duties, etc. But many of them do,
until the continual reasoning Cor nag
ging) wears out both parties to the
argument and every body else as well.
Early in life the child should be taught
to consider those personal duties as
facts to be accepted and acted upon.
Then again there is the mother, it
usually is the mother, who is over
anxious for the expansion of her
child's personality; she wants him to
learn to do by doing and she fails to
realize that his personality may be
expanding to the great discomfort of
friends and neighbors. Such a moth
er has mistaken sense of devotion to
her child and is doing him a grave
wrong in failing to teach him one of
the most important of lessons and the
first essential of good citizenship, i. e.
respect for the right, property and
comfort of others.
If, for example, his development re-
suits in the destruction of the best
table cloth, or of his playmates' toys,
or the enamel on the visitors motor,
his mother remarks that "Reginald
was just finding out He is so curious
to know about everything. Come,
Dear, and say that it was mistake
and you are sorry" So Reginald says
it with an easy sorrow that pops glib
ly, by long practice, from his lips and
he continues to pursue his destructive
waywardness with the surety that if
he says he is sorry when Mother tells
him to, all will be well and the help
less and outraged will be silent. That
is the same child who will expect to
be forgiven in later years no matter
what his misdeeds, if only he express
es his sorrow for the outward conse-
quences of his fun, after he has had it.
Let us go to the best educators for
advice. and counsel in bringing up
our children; but let us be sure that
we really understand and apply their
whole philosophy and do not misin-
terpret it by selecting a few detached
phrases which happen to suit our own
selfish convenience and thus burden
society with one more peculiar and
exasperating member.
Parents will find the following books
helpful: When Children Err, by Eliza
beth Harrison, pub. by National Kin
derparten Il Elementary College 20Ad
Michigan Blvd, Chicago, H., price