The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-05-20
YOUR :. CHILDREN
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Children often live cruel lives.
 believe that nearly all of us can att
 test to that, no matter how luxur-
 ious our homes were, how kind our parents may have been, or how good
 our health was. The source of un-
 happiness is usualyy in ourselves,
 and children are as we are.
 One reason for this is that a
 child is very conscious of his mis-
 takes, and most children suffer and
 brood because of them.
 As childhood is nothing but ser
 les of mistakes--as measured by our
 adult standards--itis easy to figure
 out how often things happen to
 darken the day of the average child.
 And he suffers not only for his own
 mistakes, but for ours. believe
 more children go about with sense of humiliation than we dream of, and humiliation is horrible thing.
 It is the grub that eats out the roots
 of self-respect and effort.
 Fear of Poverty.
 We might look over our own mis- takes. Here is one. Do we talk
 constantly before the children about
 not being able to buy this and that and the other thing? Do we preach poverty in their ears until they get a fixed idea of being different from any one else? That is the secret of
 children asking, Mother, are we poor?"
 Right now during these times 1t Is difficult, indeed, almost impos- sible, for all parents not to let the children know of purse conditions,
 but am speaking of the national American custom even during pros- porous years to howl about poverty.
 Too many children have one about
 with vague fear of imminent per- peril on account of the constant harping at home about money. And | if 1t were all sifted down, about 76 per cent of it was unnecessary. u is all right to speak frankly and ask. their cooperation in keep ing down expenses--am not advo- eating entire secrecy; but if they see our own philosophic acceptance and courage, they absorb it. If we are perennial complainers, they are go- ing to wilt under the burden and suspect that others are scorning them.
 Children Suffer for Parents. Another mistake we make, and
 this is So common, is to do or say things that make us a misfit in a
 community. Children suffer keenly
 when one or both parents are criti- cized. They want their parents to be like other parents, only naturally to be liked little better than all the res. A child suffers if ii be- comes neighborhood gossip that his
 mother is a scold or his father a drunkard. Occasionally we put clothes on them that make them conspicuous, or at least that cause
 them to feel so. They feel 1t keenly
 when their clothes are incongruous,
 out-o place, ill-kept. too big or too
 little. True. 1t cannot always be
 avoided, but when it is possible
 we should not mage them unhapily Iclothes-conscious. Community stan dards govern this somewhat. Another mistake we make Is to constantly remind children of their mistakes. We scold, we nag, we riducule-the latter is the cruelest of all. hy
 All these scret troubles of children can be avoided some of the time; some of them all of the time. If we can get the boys and girls to come to us and open up their hearts and tell us abolt it, that is great thing. Honest confession Is good fo rthe soul!" One of the truest things ever said. t