The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-05-13
, LIGHT AT NIGHT IS NEURoTICIsM

My small son who is five years of age awakens during the night and says he IS afraid and must put on the light. He has a nap every afternoon of one hour and has very nourishing food. I wrote you few
 weeks ago and am sorry neglected to send a stamped addressed envelope. l can't understand why this should be. would greatly appreciate your help. Thank ing you in advance, am
 Come. come. my dear Watson. the letter pre- sents several features of interest. Twice in the brief message the lady seems to apologize for her son. First because he is small, and again because she can't understand his extraordinary behavior
 Then she acknowledges that he is a person. age of imperious character and when he com- mands there is naught to do but obey. It IS quite likely the young man, when composing the household for his rest at night leaves memorandum with the subconscious to wake him at 1 a. m and again around without fail so that he may have the pleasure of com manding that there be light: There's lot of satisfaction for spoiled child seeing every body jump when he calls
 This child has very nourshing food. what ever that may mean. It means nothing to us, but perhaps it implies some kind Of insipld proprietary stuff in the mind of the unfortun- ate chlds parents. The training and envir- onment that cultivate the habit of raising an alarm and demanding light and activity from all hands in the night would scarcely fail to cultivate queer whims mad abnormal tastes as to food. One of the characteristic traits of our national neuroticism is our childnke delight in pretty packages.
 Every child is entitled to clean, comfort able. airy and reasonably quiet place to sleep, and a bedtime schedule as unchangeable as dinner time. Babies under six months Of age Should sleep from sixteen to eighteen hours day, the waking periods being only an hour or so long. At the age of year fourteen to sixteen hours of sleep will be enough, eleven or twelve at night, and two or three hours In the day, in morning and afternoon maps. At the age of two years, the baby still needs the eleven or twelve hours sleep at night and shorter maps of perhaps an hour each forenoon and afternoon. At four years the child needs the same eleven or twelve hours sleep at night and nap of one-half hour once or twice daily. The afternoon nap should be kept up until the child is six seven years old, and even in older children it is an excellent health habit not to be discouraged. From six to ten years a child can get along with eleven hours sleep every night. From twelve to sixteen years ten hours sleep is the right ration.
 The nursing or bottle fed infant should be put to bed Immediately after the late arter- noon feeding. Older children who have dinner or supper at six six-thirty may be allowed to pass the time between dinner and bedtime at any quiet amusement or play, but should not be allowed to have any exciting diversions at this time.
 When child's natural inclinations ana ha hits are not broken by bad teaching or train ing the child will go to bed and sleep nights like any healthy young animal. The spoiled child acquires his fondness for lights and alar- ums in the night from demonstrations by his parents guardians.
 Just as the twig is bent the trees inclined.