Evening star., 1935-09-05
Encourage the Friends
Of Son or Daughter
To Meet at Your Home
Rv Close Observation and Pleasant Associa.
tion Mother May Best Judge School
mates True characteristics.

ions and, without realizing 1t, they
are drawn into petty deceits and mis-
demeanors, presented to them under
the sugar coating Of putting one
over" and being pretty slick"
The "swiping" Of apples or some
such object, from under the nose OF q
drowsy fruit vendor, may be done the
first time just because Of the thrill and
the danger of getting caught-but that
reaction soon gives way to the more
dangerous one of proving ones self
smarter than the other fellow. From
then on the transition into the role OF
real thievery is swift and easy. Food
and other things are taken without
benefit of cash simply because there Is
no reason to pay for something which
NAV be had free by a little daring ano
skill. And there you have your poten-
tial thief, already graduated from his
apprenticeship.
IN EVERY child there lies the de-
sire to "show off," and to win the
plaudits of his contemporaries. If
he finds that the majority Of the
members of his particular gang ad-
mire breaking of laws-then, to cap
ture their attention and possible lead
ership. he will do almost anything in
that line. Therefore, it Is funda-
mentally important that mother should
know the type of children with whom
her own child associates-she should
encourage play close around the
home, so that she may occasionally
look from the window, and, If she OBJ
serves anything not exactly to her
liking, may change the game ITSELF
or lead the children's minds along
other channels by suggesting some in
door diversion for short time. Thus
she may also Judge the actual char
acteristics of her child's friends and
form a calm, unbiased opinion OF
their qualifications. She can never
get a truthful statement from any
child about one of his friends, II ne
feels that his answer to her question
may prohibit his playing with that
particular friend any longer. He will
fight to the last ditch to retain the
friendShip-and, in way, that Is
something one can do little about, for
in that attitude lies the seed OF fu-
ture loyalties and dependability.
Mother, you must see for yourself
and the best way to do this Is to
watch unseen, and also to make
warm friends and confldants Of all
children who play within your gates.
Encourage them to come to you in
their games, when they need a
mediator. or when some knotty ques-
ton has proved too much for them.
Give them a cookie or two-eVen a
bread and butter sandwich and let
them sit down on the porch steps, or
in the kitchen, and talk to you while
they eat it.
IT IS vitally important to keep n
close mental and spiritual touch
with your child during his schoo
days. So much depends upon it-sc
much sorrow and disgrace may be
saved later by just little attention
and alertness at this age. Children
rarely set out to do real wrong-they
slip into it as the line of least re-
sistance, and at the behest of the
mob with which they foregather. II
care is taken to be ION the job" to
nip any hard-boiled tendencies in
the bud, nine times out of ten the
child will react favorably, and a
grave situation be diverted.
I am fully aware of the fact that
the children of today cannot be
brought up in the sheltered, cotton
batting atmosphere of the prewar gen.
erations. Life itself has made that
impossible. A child too shielded from
the ugly things he is apt to en-
counter in his daily existence Will
be totally unfit to cope with the
"slings and arrows of outrageous for
tune as he grows older. and will be,
come an easy prey to those who have
been battered against the wall OF
reality since babyhood.
But do feel that child may be
taught to meet life's difficulties square
ly, and toughened just enough to shed
those arrows of his sensitivity by
practical and intelligent home train
ing. In this way he may learn the
difference between good and bad, as
they are liable to be presented to him
in his contacts with his schoolmates
and be able to Judge for himself which
ones measure up to the standards set
by his parents. If the matter Is not
discussed with him in the sense OF
his being good" but rather in the
light of building for his future career
and success as a man, he will prob
ably accept it with far better grace
than If he feels he Is simply being
persuaded into becoming a "goody-
goody" and a SISSY"