The Washington times., 1928-08-17
q Foster Child S
Willingness
to Serve
BY Constance Cameron

7 Probably there is nothing more
annoying to US, unless we have
given It conscious thought, than
60 hear our youngest demand
that he be allowed to help, just
when we are launching into a
task which we want to plough
through and finish. Help! His
idea Of helping and ours are
totally different thoughts. AMI
why is it, that this demand al
ways comes just when our bust.
est times seem to. be overpower-
Ing us?
Let US pretend for a minute
that you are alone, living by your
self, and have been sent to e
strange city to take up your
work. Your first reaction is to
establish social or business con-
nections. After you are unpacked
and fairly well settled as to
your worldly goods, you begin
to think about that letter Of in.
PRODUCTION which lies in your writ
Ing case. You get it out, ana
use it. You see what this per-
son Is like, to whom it is ad.
dressed, and mentally decide
whether he fits into your inter.
-ests or activities at all.
You take out library card, and
draw books, rejoicing that the
branch nearest to you is but q
short walk from your home. liz
you are man, you perhaps 90
20 a lodge in this strange city.
meet men. size up the place, get
the general spirit of it and decide
whether you will fit into any OF
the plans afoot there. You 20 to
the corner newsstand and arrange
TO have a morning paper delivered.
me one you've ignorantly chosen
doesn't suit you. You don't like
the editorials or your faVorite
comic strip is absent, so you ask
that the paper be changed to an.
other, until you finally hit upon
one which pleases you.
WhyAdO you do all these things?
Is II not a process of adjustment?
Isn't It because you desire to find
out just where You fit into the
life OF this strange place? There
are people, Libraries, newspapers,
lodges, etc, in every town. but
that fact doesn't interest you. All
you want to discover is. what con-
nection there is between you and
these various places, persons and
articles in this particular town.
So when a child. instead of be.
Ing consumed with interest in his
dlIn1p-truck or doll, leaves them
with apparently no regret to fol-
low you about as you take down
curtains and substitute fresh ones,
it is because in each new activity
in the home he is trying to find
out just what relation that change
bears to him and his personal in
ferests.
The four walls of home are
tiny child's whole world. Every
thing there is OF intense interest.
He is awakening to the fact that
there are causes and effects.
When the grocery man raps at
the back door and mysterious
looking packages are set upon
the kitchen table. it follows that
nice foods appear. perhaps a
raisin or two pops into the small
mouth, and finally the things are
arranged in neat rows on the
shelves. It is interesting to
child to see something happen be-
cause something else has hap
pened to make it so. 1t is more
interesting TO discover the astound-
ing fact that this same cause
produces the same effect day
after day.
The discovery of cause and ef-
feet is an important one and
causes and their ensuing results
should be explained as often as
the child asks. His reasoning
powers are being stretched and
exercised and nourished, and he
will soon astonish you by telling
you that he expects such and
such thing to happen because
another thing has been done al
ready.
Help your child TO find out how
he fits in. Make him feel that
he is welcome and necessary.
How would you feel il in the
strange city we thought Of the
librarian or the news vender said:
No! Run away now. You haven't
been here long enough to look at
our books or papers" Wouldn't
1t sort of make you feel sus-
pended in nidair? Not a con-
structive emotion that so help to
keep that emotion out of your
LII