The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1934-04-09

Before q mother OfuerB ner
child TO stop playing with
certain OF his young cOmpan-
Ions In the neighborhoOd. Il
would be well 10 read what
Olive Roberts Barton says ON
the subject. II comprises am
other Of her articles on Child
Training.
Probably every mother In the
world signs when she has to divide
her boy or her girl with others.
How nice 1t was when she could
have them at home with her all
day long. They were getting
along 30 we'll and understand each
other so perfectly.
She feels that no one will ever
understand her Jimmy on her
Jean well enough to do them JUS
tice. Not only that but she fears
the adverse influence of those less
well-trained.
But Just because she does feel
this way 1t is the best thing for
all concerned that life steps In and
removes her darling from an ex-
istence In which he is king. The
child neeC, a certain amount of
struggle, or at least effort, to de-
veIop the best in him. He has to
have some roughage to give him
fibre. We all know that 80 1t 10
not news. But just the same a
mother cannot help feeling that
she could do so much better than
any one else.
Those Outside Friends.
1t isn't the teacher she is jeal-
GUS of, although in some cases, q
mother will set her face directly
away from this other woman who
supplants her for a good part OF
every day, but it is children.
When Jimmy shows q tendency
to want to be out playing every
minute and uses her only for back
ground she will probably make
greater effort than ever to en-
dear him when he is alone with
her. These things take care OF
themselves. Children need love and
lots of 1t, but a certain attitude to-
ward his .outside friends Is al
most vital.
There's Tommy Green, for in
stance, who is pretty selfish and
loots Jimmy every chance he gets
Or there is Dickie Brown who has
an obsession for caps and takes
her Jimmy's as we'll as all tho
others he can get hold of and
throws them over fences for their
owners to retrieve at some little
trouble.
Mothers Orders.
Her first instinct Is to say
Don't you play with those boys,
darling. They're rude and rough
and / don't like them"
"But I like them, mother.
Don't be q softy, Jimmy. You
are so trusting that anybody could
walk away with your nose and you
wouldn't care. Just stay away
from them. Hunt new friends. ]
won't have you imposed upon
In time Jimmy loses faith, too
He goes by what his mother says,
and hunts another crowd. But
what happens here? Here's harry
Smith who dares him to do things
and then laughs when Jimmy
won't or can't, and perhaps there's
a Billy Somebody who is forever
making running jump and en-
gaging some boy or other in a
rolling match on the sidewalk.
If your Jimmy is Jean, the
same things happen in girls
crowds, too. Not in the same way,
but in a dozen little unpleasant
happenings that run parallel to
the masculine methods.
A Child's Attitude.
There are times when Interior
ence Is necessary, to be sure, times
when things go SO far that child
needs a little championing and
protection. But for the most part
it Is well to allow Jimmy on his
sister their precious faith in their
friends.
Besides, the darlings may just
possibly be giving as good as they
get. Our children are not angels
Just because they're ours.
Children have way Of accept
ing and even expecting a certain
mistreatment from other children.
SO they "emote" less about them
than we do. They take things
pretty philosophically and usually
forget the little meannesses Gas
we think OF them) as soon as
we think of them) as soon as
they're over.
If we baby Jimmy, he'll soon be
tagged as a sissy and short sport.
But for him to lose faith and con-
fidence in people Is worse still.