The Coolidge examiner., 1934-05-25
MOTHER GUILTY
OF UNFAIRNESS?
Acts of "Naughtiness' Not
Always Wilful.
BY JANETTE STEVENSON MURRAY.
National Kindergarten Associ-
alton. New YORK CITY.

National Kindergarten Associ-
alton. New York city.
Most parents fly off the handle
too easily" said a thoughtful moth
er who works hard to make ends
meet and whose leadership has been
an inspiration to her study group.
I'VE should always remember that
children are people Ike ourselves.
II we heard their side OF the case.
we should often find that what
seemed naughtIness was a lack OF
understanding on their part"
Il saw an Illustration Of that the
other day" one OF the women said.
"My neighbor next door raises chick
ems. and she took OF a setting last
week. She had kept a heavy board
IN front OF the coop for few days
TO prevent the little chickens from
getting out, then she set the board
up against the coop. l thought. my
self. II looked as II II might fall and
wondered why she had left It like
that.
BILLY, her fve-year-old boy. was
fascinated with the chickens and
spent hours about the coop. Satur-
day noon he had just fed them their
oatmeal when he saw the yellow cat
from across the alley sneakIng up.
Now this cat had n reputation for
eating little chicks, so Billy ran to
chase II away but accidentally
touched the board. 1t fell, killing
several chickens
The noise brought his mother.
'Oh, you naughty boyr she cried.
See what you've done' She seized
Billy and whipped him. He tried to
tell her about the cat but she was
too angry to listen.
The little fellow sobbed heart
brokenly for an hour; then he be-
came sullen and resentful for the
rest Of the day. His only thought
had been TO protect the chickens
He felt ll-treated-that an injustice
had been done him. Some fore
thought on the mothers part In put
ting the board away or placing It fiat
on the ground might have averted
the trouble. and he should not have
been punished, In any way, without
an investigation"
"I'll have 10 confess that ! did
this same thing with my little JEAN"
said another member OF the group.
"Jean always wants TO help me
wash the dishes. A few days ago
she ran to the sink and filled the
dishpan with water and then, some
how, upset II on the floor. Being
very tired. punished her before l
thought Afterwards / realized she
had been trying to help. Rugged
her tight, begged her pardon, and
told her / had been wrong TO be
angry. because she had not meant to
spill the water. The little thing ap-
preclated my apology for she has
been so considerate since"
"Our doctor told a story that
shows how a child should be treat
ed" contributed another mother.
This is about chickens, too. The
doctor had bought dozen pedigreed
Bun OrpIngton chicks. Next day, he
found six In a pail OF water, drowned
by his three year-old daughter. Ann.
He was tempted to punish her but,
remembering a discussion he had
heard on the Importance Of finding
a childs motive before acting, he
began to think what her idea could
have been.
1T seems that the day before
Ann and her mother had gone with
him when he made a call In the
country. They had stayed out in the
yard watching some fluffy yellow
ducks, swimming about In a big pan.
Recalling this, he knew she had
thought that the chickens, like
ducks, could swim and was trying to
make them do II.
'The doctor did not punish Ann
but explained very carefully that
chickens must never be put In water
because they cannot swim and why
little ducks can swim. Ann under
stood, for she explained 1t all to her
mother, later"