Evening star., 1936-04-06
Discipline
Should Not
Be Bondage
Growth Often Stunted
by Severely Strict
Regime.
BY ANGELO PATRI,

isabelle. dear, don't ever do any
thing without asking me first. Now
will you, like a dear child, remember
that? Always ask me-"
"Yes, mother dear"
So when Isabelle wanted to take
out her doll instead of her Teddy bear
she asked mother first. If she thought
she would like to stop rolling Teddy
in the pram and make pies instead,
she asked mother. One day Polly
from down street was playing with
her and said, Lets go down to the
brook in grandfather's meadow. It's
lovely there. We can catch little
fish, maybe, and walk the stepping
stones, an> get some forget-me-notS
for our mothers. Come on. There's
no fun in this yard"
III have to ask mother" said Isa-
belle, who had never yet done any,
thing without asking, although she
was now eight years old.
"Whatl you ask your mother for?
She said we could play together all
morning and so did my mother. And
we only go through the garden gate
across your orchard and into the
meadow. I always play in the brook.
Don't be silly. Come on. If you ask
her she might say No. and if she
does I'm going away and leave you
alone"
Sadly, with much misgiving, Isabelle
walked through her own garden,
through the familiar orchard to the
next meadow. Soon she forgot her
misgivings and gave herself wholly
to the JOY of playing with that best
of companions, a pebbly, sun-warmed
little brook that went singing along
between narrow banks bordered with
forget-me-nots. Shoes and stockings
were laid aside, little skirts tucked,
and the two happy youngsters gave
themselves to the Joy of being alive
on a lovely day in Spring. Suddenly
a piercing call startled them.
That's my mother calling me-" said
Isabelle, and she looked stricken as
one discovered in wickedness.
Answer her. Tell her you're COM
ing" prompted Polly.
Poor Isabelle couldn't answer, but
went in blind hurry toward the voice
that was growing sharper with each
call. Here am, mother. I was just
playing with Polly in the brook"
Without asking me? You are a
bad child. And it Is all Polly's fault.
You are never to play with her again.
Never. You hear that, Polly? Don't
ever come to play with Isabelle again.
Never in her lite has she disobeyed
me before. 1t is your fault, but she
is bad girl to have listened to you"
Polly looked at the excited lady in
surprise, and made no answer. Isa-
belle was taken home and put to bed
for the day, and when father came
home he was told how bad she had
been, what a dreadful child she was
and how bad Polly was. Polly never
came again to play with her and she
stayed alone with her mother.
Always ask me before you do any
thing"
Mothers have to know where chill
dren are, but the trouble was in this
mothers attitude that said, ASK me
firSt. know what you ought to do.
I know what is best Tor you, but you
don't" A childhood and adolescence
spent in that spirit reduces a child
to a nonentity. There is difference
in thinking about a child and thinking
for him, and that difference makes the
future OF a child successful or unsuc-
cessful. ASK me-" should be modified
to, Tell me. I will listen with deep
atfectionate interest, but I will not
lay hands upon your growth"
(CopyrIgnt, 1866