The Washington times., 1936-01-08
Health
Children and
TantrunS
BY DIR. LOGAN CLENDEN1No

ny LIN. LOOAN NA1ANDGANAANU
Holding the breath. banging
the head, eating dirt, night ter.
rors, tantrums in general, when
they occur in infancy, all have
very much the same basis.
This basis is psychological and
emotional, and not physical. 1t
usually is a means to an end. The
baby has found out that if he
holds his breath until he is blue
in the face, the parents are very
much alarmed and will do any.
thing he wants. He, therefore,
does it again whenever the same
situation arises.
AS a matter Of fact, the fear
that the condition may go on to
q state Of Inconsistencies beyond
control is entirely unfounded.
The baby addicted to crying
spells is cock of the walk for a
while, until somebody has nerve
enough to shove him off the side.
walk.
Baby's Scheme
Just one period Of paying no
attention to him whatever during
one Of these spells, sitting calmly
by and making no remonstrance,
is sufficient to break up the en-.
tire scheme. 1t is very important
that it should be broken up, be-
cause the child is likely to turn
into a spoiled and unSociable
member of society.
The head wobbler or head
bangor is very much the same
kind Of baby. He accidentally
develops some queer head move.
ment with a tendency to roll or
bang the head and nod. He has
a good time doing it. but it nearly
drives his parents crazy. Nervous
babies on improper feeding are
likely to get into this habit.
Babies with ricketts, roll the head
around so much that they wear
| CQe na1r OH CQe DaCk.
Crying and tantrums are diff
ferent stages of the same condi.
ton. Crying is the mildest of all
these habits directed at drawing
attention to itself or obtaining
something that the parents have
refused. An ordinary amount Of
crying is beneficial and develop
mental, but, of course, when it
gets to be a maitland a pur-
poSeful habit is in the same
category as holding the breath
and head banging.
Hysteria
TantrumS go a step beyond cry.
ing spells and are simply infan.
tile hySteria. A practitioner,
whose patients are all adults, said
to a children'S specialist friend
of mine the other day. that he
envied him because children never
have neuroSeS. The children'S
specialist answered that they have
worse neuroSeS than adults.
remember once in my boyhood
a friend of mine decided that we
had been badly treated and de-
cided to run away from home. We
ran around the corner of the
house, where my companions
father was sitting reading a news
paper. The old gentleman looked
up and said:
"What you doing, bOyS?" We
answered in chorus:
"We're running away from
home" He calmly went back to
the newspaper and said, Don't
run. Walk. Nobody is going to
chase you" 1t took all the zeSt
out of the adventure
That attitude is the basis for
the treatment of all these child
hood neuroSeS.
EDITORS NOTE: Six pam
phletS by DR.. Clendening can
now be obtained by sending 10
cents in coin for each, and a self
addressed envelope stamped with
a three-cent stamp, to DR.. Logan
Clendening, in care Of this paper.
The pamphlets are: Indigestion
and Constipation, Reducing and
Gaining" Infant Feeding" I'm
structions for the Treatment of
Diabetes" Feminine Hygiene"
and THE Care Of the Hair and
Skin"