The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-04-23
YOUR CHILDREN By Olive Roberts Barton 6ias2 eY NEA SEavIeE INC:
WHEN CHILDREN TIRE
 EASILY


 EASILY
 You stop your work and look anxiously at Johnny. He is tired again. You know it from the way his shoulders sag, the way he lolls over every chair he comes to, his pasty color, his dull eyes.
 What are you going to do? Ask him what is the matter? Scold him for not eating more? Get out the bottle of tonic? Write te the teacher and ask her to excuse him from his home work?
 Probably. Or at least some of them. One thing is almost inevit- able and that is your calling John- ny's attention to the fact that he is tired.
 I shouldn't do that. I should do my talking to myself. Have l been making him do too many err rands or given, him tasks beyond his strength ?" might we'll be the first question you put to your self. But the chances are that you will discard this as the prime cause of his wareiness. He hasn't far to walk to school and two or three errands on top of that and the few little things you require his help with at home should not exhaust healthy boy of ten.
 That decided, other things pre- sent themselves. Is he getting enough sleep? You count it up. He's a coaxer and generally doesn't get settled until 10 o'clock. Then he's up at half past seven. You are not sure. Is it enough? No. that is not enough. He should sleep from eight or eight-thirty at the latest, to seven. Perhaps more If he gets "nervously tired" And fifteen minutes at noon or after school to lie flat on his beck quiet ly.
 Is His Diet Adequate? Food! Well, now you suspect you are coming to it. Is he get ting oranges or raw tomatoes once a day, good nourishing variety of vegetables Cots of them), milk to drink, a little meat once a day, or eggs or fish? Perhaps he is getting too many eggs and they make him bilious" for some children cannot digest them very well. Stewed fruit, cereals, bread and butter? All this you ask yourself, and again you find a ready answer. No, Johnny wants fap-jacks for break fast; he won't touch ecereals or milk; he shivers at the sight o1 almost very vegetable. but loves pork and beans, which you have about every other day. Potatoes and macaroni he also loves, also hot biscuits and ham gravy and pie.
 I agree with you. That is one thing to be remedied at once. Oh no, don't discard everything h' likes so much, although the pi' l could be dispensed with, but don llet him have those things too oftel Or to the exclusion of the neces sary foods. Don't forget the milk i, please.
 Now how does he stand, or sit On the middle of his spine? Yot draw a mental picture Of him 1T school slouched down with hii shin on his chest or his shoulders suspended like second story ex' tension over his desk. How does he breathe? Does he ever, ever draw in decent breath of air down to the bottom of hi: lungs? No, you know very vel he doesn't.
 Your self conversation has cry. stalized your thought. Now you know where you are. "Johnny, stand up, dear," yor say brightly. "Oh, no, like sol. | dier zee pn You press his hip, | forward, his stomach in and his chin up. "What a handsome fel' low you are when you stand like that! Chest out! Breathe deep Again!"
 Well, that's the beginning of tho | Oxygen trail. Now for the vita min trail, the sleep trail. and tho happiness trail. That combination should put roses in his cheeks anc flesh on his bones.