Evening star., 1936-11-09
Development
Must Not Be
Suppressed
Prolonging Babyhood
Is Detrimental to
Normal Growth
BY ANGELO PATRI.

"NJoW, now, Harvey, don't do that.
~ Let him alone. You must re-
member he is the baby"
For goodness sake, mother, how
long is he to be the baby?"
Now, now, Harvey, don't talk like
that. He is always the baby because
he is the youngest, and you can't ex-
pect him to be like you. You have
to remember how much older you are.
Be patient with him. 2
IT am patient with him. Too patti
ent. I ought to swat him well for his
impudence and his interference with
nv belongings, and his butting into
my affairs generally. I'm not the only
one who is finding him a nuisance.
The first thing he knows he won't
have a friend in the world. I'm for
teaching him to grow up as fast as he
knows how. He's 8 years old, and he
whines like pup. Maybe you think
1t Is all right, but nobody else does, !
can tell you that"
well, I'm his mother and ought
to know. You are all grown up, and
soon you'll be going away and Ill be
left all alone. If Bunny stays young
q while"
Mother, he's 8. He ought to be
out messing 1t up with the other kids.
Instead of that he is forever poking
about where he doesn't belong. He
Is saucy to anybody who speaks to
him. He has no manners and no
consideration for anybody. You're
Just about running that kid, and I'm
sorry for him."
Nov, what is he doing that Is SO
bad? You're too fussy. You forget
that you were not always 20. Once
you were 8, too."
"M-m-m. And did whine at the
table? Did Marie or Tom or ever
refuse to sit down to meal until we
got a piece of cake or candy? Did
we ever throw our things all over the
place, cheek anybody who spoke to
us, come late to meals, tell you that
we would do as we liked and do it?
Not that you know, did We? You are
not being kind to the kid by telling
him he is the baby and teaching him
that he can get away with anything
he wants. I brought him home just
now because he was running back and
forth across the neighbors lawns,
calling a half dozen dogs after him,
offering them something to eat and
not giving it to them. Just raising
cain. Mrs. Norwalk said he was the
worst spoiled brat in the neighbor-
hood. You know that doesn't sit so
well, coming from woman like her. 3"
"Of course you would feel bad II
she said anything, you being so thick
with her Helen. She needn't talk
But Of course I wouldn't want Bunny
to call the dogs like that. One might
bite him, and then what would we do?
They ought to tie up their dogs"
I'VE ought to tie up Bunny. And
stop telling him he is the baby. You
don't want a baby of about the
place. I'd like to see him sent to a
boarding school and pulled up into q
husky boy. And I think you'd be glad
to have him grow out Of this, after
1t happened. Some day you'll get sick
OF baby with a man-size hat on its
head"
When q child does not emerge from
babyhood by the time he is there Is
something wrong either with his rear
ing or with him. Don't ever prolong
babyhood, infancy or any other pass
ing phase Of child growth. 1t is
dangerous.
Mr.. Patri has prepared leafiet en-
titled Annoying Habits" in which he
tells parents how to cope with some
Of the common infantile faults. Send
for it, addressing your request to Mr..
Angelo Patri, child psychology de-
partment Of this paper. and inclose a
self-addressed, stamped (3-cent) en-
velope.