The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-04-06
EEYoUR CHILDREN
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By Olive Roberts Bsrtoe

One way to insure against your child growing mp to be
 an embittered person Is to
 encourage in him certain mag
 nanimOus attitudes toward
 people. Olive Roberts Barton
 tells about 1t fin another of her
 articles on child training.
 One of the things most neglect cd and 50 little commented upon ed and so litle commented upon is the child's attitude" to other people or we might say his "yalues."
 Yet these values can make or unmake him. Jealousy, anger and the well-known yellow" streak are results of wrong "attitudes".
 By the time he Is six, he will have certain fixed values of his own, but all through his growing years these values are being shaped and chiseled to very def mite form.
 Suppose the child has this fol- lowing tendency-to fear children who are stronger or smarter or more dominating than he is, or be jealous of them: to be indifferent or unfriendiy with his equals; and to have contempt, or even cruel ty toward those he thinks weaker or more handicapped than him. self.
 The three go together.
 This sounds rather despicable on paper, but as a matter of fact 1t is not so. Most of us are that way in different degrees.
 Attitude of Adults
 Aren't we often glad to pull the top man down? There is your jealousy or inferiority. Aren't we indifferent to the common mortal of our own status, unless he be- longs in some small clique in which we are interested? Don't most of us love to kick a dog when he's down and blame those less smart. or less successful than our selves, or at least patronize them?
 For some reason or other we have gravitated that way in early childhood. Just why depended were conditioned that way by tho behavior of those about us. Per haps 1t was inferiority at work, or VT LIh6tA&tA0ns A*C use trying to analyze reasons, but 1t is a common human failing.
 Why not take the child now with his treason" as our ally?
 He Is older and can understand, so why not change these three viewpoints to the following?
 Instead of his being jealous or afraid of those he considers .ts. xstA n III him toward admiration and ap- proval. Sheer admiration unac- companied by envy is the grandest and greatest asset man or woman can have. It may be contended that this would make for servility or lack of ambition. This is not the case. Real hero worship is an incentives; 1t makes .a boy or girl feel that he would like to "equal" or even surpass that other. It would be unaccompanied by any mean emotion whatever, except an intense desire to make the grade. Tn case of failure there would be no heart t-break. It is tho basic es- sential of fair and square sports manship.
 Cultivating FriendIiness
 AZ lO uib cquui5t thO5G WHV match him in ability or station or strength of character, it is better and kinder to try to cultivate his fricndliness toward them, his inter- est in what they do and cooper ative spirit that will enrich his whole life. We have too many people who won't have friends who cannot be "of use" to them. Sheer plain friendliness is rather rare and precious thing.
 Last there are those children who arc weaker or less fortunate. Is he to despise them, criticize them, or show off before them? Or Is he to have sympathy and pa ticnce with their less fortune? To be kind is such wonderful thing kind without patronizing, and parading. Just kind.
 From six on, or even before six. the greatest work mother can do is to sway these attitudes toward the generous sides. It will make her child mentally and spiritually a "big" person, not an embittercd one eaten up someday by mal ices, prejudices and jealousies. He will be SO much happier. He will have so much to thank her for. But first of all both parents will have to cndeavor to correct their own attitudes if necessary. Thus lies attccaaa