The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-03-12

child training.
 During the years before school a little child is feeding his "seit instinct.
 If he appears to be indifferent to the comfort of others 1t is not to be worried about.
 On the contrary he needs help in satisfying the urge that nature has put there. If he is to develop an assurance and self-confidence 1t is now that the seed is well-sown and fertilized.
 The fertilizer is praise.
 It is quite common to give the little boy or girl material things to instill feeling of natural pride. This is a mistake. TO pc sure he needs toys. ana many or them. to keep hm busy. Also 1t does set up the possession com plex" which is strongly associated with the "self complex". But when it comes to assurance of worth m himself, possessions alone fall far short of the mark.
 Praise Breeds Confidence
 Praise is a powerful bootser or self-respect. In the first place ne is suspicious that he cannot do things well, as of course he can |. Secondly he is so busy. with ms many activities and impulses ne IS bound to have acidents and get into trouble.
 And thirdly, not having enough reason developed, yet to act as a stay on his conduct, and having other peculiarities characteristic of young children, he may not al- ways stick to truth but mix fam tasy with fact.
 These things all make him very prone to criticism and scolding, or even ridicule just at a time when he needs the reverse.
 No one says this is not hard problem for a mother. It is in- deed. To keep him bolstered in his own esteem and yet to train him to be a likable little person and not barge over everybody around him is a real task. And yet it Is surprising how much trouble can be avoided by this very process. Being mentally happy, he will be more placid, and there will be fewer daily storms.
 The other half, of course, is to have his routine so regular that he will come to accept orders without too much stampeding. He can be, and should be, condition ed" from early babyhood to habit. Habit plays strong part in pre- school life.
 And being busy at congenial play is another ally, for the mother.
 Encourage Sensitive Type
 There will be trouble. of course, and there will be bad times. But to work in some praise wherever possible is building the thing all mothers want their children to have, confidence in self. Mothers of older children who have little courage and no faith in them selves often wonder why this is so. It may be that in early childhood they lost it. =, Tn families, it may be argued. some children do very well while others lack the qualities of leader ship, under the same upbringing This is due to the difference in the children themselves, very likely. The two types before described in these articles account for much The introvert or sensitive type needs more encoura cement and often it is he who gets the least We cannot put spunk or assurance in a child by constant scolding. It. is this type of child who is very likely to turn bully under hurt. He invents a false or defiant courage to cover up cringing heart. Prais. little child for his awk- ward attempts to do things. His most vulnerable spot is his "do- ing" To tell him Cor her) he is sweet and pretty may not do any harm, but it is not the construc- tive praise that gets results. All children need praise. gen. orally speaking, and it is an out moded idea that they don't Heavy rains in British Guiana