The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-06-22
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y NIr Abberzs Buntn
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One time a traffic policeman said
If I arrested all the people I see
breaking traffic laws every day. !
wouldn't have time to be doing the
rest of my duty"
I cannot think Of anything more
apt In describing the ~predicamcnt OF
q mother of little children.
It just is impossible for youngsters
to be perfect. And If they were,
wouldn't they be dull and uninterest-
ing? That's the way they learn. by
trying everything once land some
times several dozen times) whether
they're allowed or not, before the lit
tie training lessons sink inland con
seouently. there is scarcely a minute
Of the day that they're not in hot
water of some kind or other.
Can't Always Be Scolding
II we stopped to heckle about
Johnny banging the screen every time
he banged it. or about the cookie he
coaxes out of cook on every visit to
the kitchen, or about smuggling Fido
into his bed every time he smuggles
him, we'd be buster than the police
man. And we'd have no time for the
other things at all.
What should we do then? Why. just
turn blind once in awhile and don't
let on you see everything that hap
pens. It must be kept to ourselves
though-thc children must never
know the deep dark secret. Don't let
them discover that you know o no.
tice. If We do that, then of course.
we must mention the infraction.
That's only to be expected.
But If we keep OF mentioning in
fractions, what happens then? Why
we turn into sing song naggers. and
that's about the worst thing in the
world for any mother to turn into.
1t Loses Its Effect
There is nothing that wears out
like scblding. It loses its effect. when
we keep at 1t day in and day out. like
an effervescent bromide, and 1t goes
just about as flat.
Something strange about the hu-
man tongue-the more its used. the
sharper it gets. and the sharper it
gets, the harder it Is to cut with. No
one pays much real attention to us If
we turn scold. Children may jump
to order at the time, but it's w just
like that! No real good has been
done.
Little children in the experimental
stage. often disobey deliberately to
see how we'll take 1t. Setting their
wills up against ours, the little ras-
Gals, to test our their strength. It's
a stage they go through. We never
should come into an open clash If
VIC can help it.. It's best to try to
get around his fault in another way.
Then, of course. it is necessary to go
blind quite. quite often.
Oh, dear! This mother business!
The spoken word puts a seal on a
thought. It clinches a memory and
rivets an impression. Watch out for
the spoken VOID.
Watch it particularly in children.
We're very likely to let a c.aild's chat
ter 20 in one ear and out the other.
but every word he utters is fixing
something in his mind permanently.
Weren't the old schoolmaSterS wise,
though, when they started the oral
recitation in class. Some of US are
rather inclined to think that spoken
lessons are a hang lover from barbar-
ism-saying things out loud when all
that is necessary is quietly to read
ideas out of a book and fix them in
our minds. In days gone by, psychol-
ogy was conspicuous by its absence.
but the schoolmasters soon discov-
cred that ideas stuck when they
were repeated aloud. far better and
much longer than those that were
merely read and nlemorized. The
, spoken recitation became an insti-
tuition.
The Power Of Voice
So we must watch the things our
children say. II we want good things
fixed In their minds and characters
we should encourage them to talk
about them. II we want to keep down
the bad weeds, the best thing to dry
them up is the salt of silence.
There is no use trying to debunk
Couc. He had a right idea-funda-
mentally right, that Is. II we say
we're better. actually say it, certainly
we're no worse.
II we have children who are pain
fully convinced that they can't do
things right. and. oh dear me! there
are millions of us-tte wisest thing
we can do is to put q maxim silencer
on that daily little plant. u can't do
it. Mother. I'm no good at it." It
may be John talking about getting on
the home team, or Mary. trying for a
prize In drawing. n It may be Junior
learning to swim.
Don't Permit aDelittling"
Often It does not take such definite
concrete form-a child just naturally
gets into the habit Of "belittling"
everything he does and Is. "Oh. I'm
just no good" I'm such an awkward
old thing" Those are the snartest
kids I ever saw. They're not dumb
like me-" whats the use Of stand.
ing straight. I'm just an ugly old
mutt no matter how ! stand"
Well. We mothers mustn't stand for
such talk Don't let them say it and
Fix the idea Of such utter futility In
their minds. II We do. 1t will stay
fixed. all right, and we'll never be
able 10 root It cut.