Evening star., 1926-03-19
Monologue Of a Nurse Of the Child
Welfare Centers.

GIVES. it is the most satisfactory
work have ever done. It's
such a JOY to see the babies grow
and improve. But the toddlers from
to 6 or 7-those are the ones
love best They are old enough to
appreciate your interest in them.
There is something very sweet in
the, confiding smile they give me
when they come back to the con-
ferences week after week. And
when call at their homes they come
and lean against my knee and gaze
into my face and listen so hard to all
the advice ! give their mothers. and
watch me while ! show how their
food should be prepared.
Zone little s-year-old named Liz
zie is so appealing that you simply
can't bear 1t when things go wrong
with her. Her mother has had a
hard time making ends meet. l have
helped her plan the food for the
family so that the children may be
little Lizzie is my pride because she
has picked UP so since 1 took the
family In hand.
you ought to see those little
children in the weighing Contests
we call them malnutrition classes
we conduct from time to time. Each
one has card with record of
his weight and health habits writ
ten in tabular form. The first step
is a careful examinat ton by the doc
tor and the dentist. who are so gen.
erous in giving their time to our
work. II dental work is necessary.
the dentist does it. and If tonsils or
adenoids are the difficulty. the child
is sent to the Children's Hospital
TO have that attended to.
Then the nurse-we call her a
dietician because she has made a
special study of food for children
who have not developed as they
should-makes searching inquiry
into the child's history-what dis
eases he has had. what food he eats.
what are his habits as 20 sleeping
and exercise in the open air. etc.
You would be surprised to see how
often the dietician-because she
knows what is best for children of
different aaes--is able to put her
finger at once on the weak spot in a
child's habits of living. That Is the
point from which she starts in each
case.
The next and most important
thing is to interest both the mother
prove the child's condition. Since
the mother brought the child to the
center she Is presumably interested
but the child is probably bored to
death with II all.
Here comes in the element of com
petition. She calls the child's attention
to his own disabilities and puts in hin,
the desire to he as strong and able 70
do. as other children of his age. She
has TO be a little sharp and critical
here. because touch of self.scorn is a
great incentive to improvement. Then
she tells the child and his mother
what changes must be made in his
way of living to bring him up to par
and suggests that the mother give
him a reward every day that he fol
lows the new rules.
Now Johnny" she says. or Tommy
or whatever his name is. do you see
these spaces on this card? These are
for stars. You are to come back each
week and if you have gained. I will
put a little star in one of the spaces
and you must try to gain every time
a nd get a solid row of stars. Like the
American flag said one child. Yes
just like our flag and when you get
up to the weight you ought to be
am going to put q gold star on your
card to show you have gone over the
top Like the soldiers who died for