The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-03-08
Child Guidance
by
Frank Howard Richardson
M. D.. F. A. c. P.
Black Mountain, N. c., and
Brooklyn, N. Y.
WHAT ABOUT HoMEWORKS

Wherever a group of parents
gathers, there will be heard COM
plants about homework. Not that
every parent has the same COM
plant, = some object because
there is too much, while many
others (believe it or notD feel
aggrieved because there is not
enough to suit them! Still others,
the most sensible fra", .aalro
that what t.-ir ,iu1,rep e.
given to 80 al f.rs could Is 'ar
better ta mh- H aci0vE
There a .-, ..--.r.l tests
that parents may apply to their
children's homework. 1t should
never be so difficult or so long
that a youngster lose the preci-
Gus hours of daylight play, when
they should be storing up energy
and vim for the next days work
in school. 1t should never cover
new or unfamiliar ground, so as
to necesSitate help from parents;
for the methods they know are so
different from those in use today
as to be hopelessly confusing to
their children. And it should
never be of such a nature that it
develops a dislike of school.
A time, a placeyeand adequate
materials for doing homework,
are absolute essentials, for its
satisfactory performance. Until
a child is we'll along in high
school, an hour a day i3i quite
long enough; but that hour, pre-
ferably the one just before or
Just after, the evening meal,
should be zealously observed. The
place is every bit as important as
the time; the family living room,
with the radio going full blast,
will not do. A quiet room, a
STRAIGHTFORWARD chair at a simple
table or desk, a good light, and
freedom from Interruptions are
all indispensable.
If there is any dissatisfaction
about a child's homework, tell the
teacher or the principal, not the
neighbors. Up-to-date school folk
welcome parental cooperation.
This can do much to make home
work both pleasant and profit
able.
QUESTION: Dear DR.. Richard
son: How can I keep my son
from becoming a roughneck. as
seems probable now, as he plays
with older children who make him
fight for his rights? And when
he is with children of his own age
he simply knocks them over and
takes their toys without asking
permission or saying thank you.
Should l punish him, or let him
alone?
. ANSWER: The best cure for
his roughneck tendencies when
playing with children his own age
is to deprive him of the privilege.
If he is kept from playing with
children because he does not be-
have, it will not take him a great
while to learn that a moderate
amount Of self-restraint pays.
And that is great lesson for
anyone to learn.
QUESTION: How can l. keep
my three-year-old daughter from
pulling up the flowers in the
yard and the vegetables in the
back garden. She thinks she is
helping me: and | hate to hurt
her feelings by telling her that
she is a bad girl.
ANSWER: l certainly shouldn't
either stop her, or tell her that
she is bad girl. As matter of
fact she will be quite as willing
to use up her energies doing con-
structive things as making trou-
BILE by destroying things, if you
will see that she has something to
do. Why not provide her with
tools that she can dig with, a
watering can that she can sprin-
kle with. and a spot in the ward
to dig in? Pm sure as active a
child will become a bad child in