The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1932-03-03

continue to take him in company
and provide little Jerry Smiths for
him to play with.
Shyness is usually due to mex
perience. The shy child in school
Is often an only child who has
been in the company Of adults al
most exclusively. The child feels
inadequate or timid in certain sit
uations because he has had no ex-
perience in these situations and he
doesn't know how to proceed.
Another cause of shyness is adj
verse criticism. In this respect
both the parents and the teachers
often err. Joyce, you're so awk-
ward! The way you sprawl on
your chair when there's company is
a fright" Betty, you talk too
much; what will Mrs. Anderson
think Of your" Johnny. your voice
Is spelling the whole groups sing
ing!" How much more effective to
have said. Betty, you talked very
nicely when the company was
here; now you must learn when
not to talk
OF course, there are differences
in personality Some babies are
SHY almost from the day they
were born; they cry timidly and
are never aggressive while others
yell Justify and smile and talk"
sociably with any visitors. These
are personality differences, to be
sure, but they can be either ex-
aggerated or lessened by training.
There is, for example, the family
which pampers shyness. Mother,
father, brothers ane sisters all
coddle the "shy" youngest. Visitors
are told Immediately and in the
child's presence how bashful
Shirley is; "she won't talk to
anyone; she's so different from the
Others"
When very shy child comes in
to the Nursery school at the Insti-
tute of Child Welfare, we ignore
him. The children. who vary in
ages from two to FIVE years, cheer
fully ignore the little newcomer
who doesn't want to '.playalong."
Then when he has stood around for
awhile, and no one has urged him
on nor paid any attention to him,
he joins in the group play Of his
own accord.
In the kindergarten, on the other,
the teacher helps the newcomer to
overcome his shyness by giving him
a sense of responsibility. She will
ask him ever so casually, to do
things fetch things, help her with
something, and If he doesn't re-
spond, another child is asked to
help him.
What the parents can do in the
home to overcome shyness consists
of "do" and several don't" Don't
urge the child on; don't do any
coaxing or shame him into the sit
uation he breads or otherwise call
attention to his shyness in way
that is embarrassing for him or the
habit will only become the more
firmly fixed.
Second, don't criticize him for
his faults and neglect to praise him.
Give him a sense of values and a
basis for judging his shortcomings
and his good points. Hold his good
points before him, let him know the
things that he does right. The
child has no way of knowing when
he has done a thing that is correct
except by the approval Of his par
ents. If his parents express them
selves only at his failures, the child
has no way Of judging when he has
failed and when he has succeeded.
Don't humiliate the child in the
presence of others, nor harp on
his >shortcoming.
Do provide all the social con-
facts for him that you possibly can.
See that he has plenty of experience
with children Of his own age as
well as with people Of all ages and
stations.