The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-02-19
TRAINING ACHlLD
, IN SELF-RELIANCE
By Mrs. Ethel G.. Young

The development OF Self-rellance Is
of vital Importance in child training,
and one cannot begin too early to
teach children to help themselves.
Often, it is very much harder and
may take more time to let them do
something than do it oneself; but,
time and effort are not wasted when
they are thus spent.
come self reliant is to give him SIM
pie duties at first, adding more diff
cult ones as he grows older. At an
early age, every baby will try to take
off his shoes. Instead OF scolding him
for doing this, show him how to do
it and also how to put them on again.
After learning this, he will soon try
to manage the rest of his clothing;
before long, he will be able to dress
and undress himself with very little
help.
Self-reliance and orderliness may
be developed in a child at the same
time, for the little one who can take
out and put away his own toys, may
play with them when he will. If he
has place for everything and keeps
everything in it's place, he can have
much more freedom for play, and will
not have to wait for someone to come
to his assistance.
Often child asks for help in doing
something which he could do for him
self if he only knew how. Too often
a busy or impatient mother will wait
upon her child to save time, and then
the next time he wants the same help,
he will come to her again. If the moth
er had taken few moments the first
time to show him how to help himself,
there would have been no second time.
For example. not long ago a little
three-year- boy came to me and
asked for a drink. ( told him to go i'm
to the kitchen and get it, but he said
he could not reach the glass. "Oh,
yes, you can" I replied, II will tell
you how. Get chair and push it near
the table; then stand on it and see if
you can't get the glass;" He did as
he was told and in few minutes came
running to me with a beaming face
saying, "1'm a big boy now; I can get
Il drink all by myself. .N
Self-reliance means confidence in
oneself. If one can rely upon his own
powers, he most certainly develops
them. A child who is taught how to
cross the street properly develops his
hearing, seeing and reasoning powers.
Of course, we as mothers, must
guide the child who is self-reliant in
the right direction and the best way
to do this is to put more faith in him.
Let him realize that we expect him to
do the right thing and in nearly every
instance he will do it, because he feels
his mothers confidence in him. In
other words, we must always look for
the best in our children instead Of
with which to find faults
and that if she would correct smaller
faults, remembering that we are some
times exasperating ourselves. A GER
lain mother once complained that she
did not know why her child was so
when she tried to punish him
FOR every n1isdeed. His father told
ner that she saw too many faults, and
that if she would correct the big evils,
The little ones would disappear. Re-
member to praise the child whenever
re accomplishes something new. De-
7elop his initiative, by helping him to
discover things for himself. Soon he
will not only be helping himself, but
,thers as we'll; he will grow more and
more considerate.