Evening star., 1936-10-23
Very Few
Children
Are Alike
Individual Handling
Is Usually
Needed.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

IT FEED mine spinach every other
= day. It's good for them. They
have their evening meal before we
have ours and are in bed by the time
we sit down at table. That leaves us
in quiet. and goodness knows we
need it,"
IT can't get my children to eat so
much spinach. They eat 1t once
week, but no more. We can't put
Jackie to bed so early. He doesn't sleep,
and that keeps the baby awake, SO we
let him sit at table with us. He's no
trouble. We rather like to have him"
"But my doctor says that spinach
Is necessary for their health. And
they must 60 to bed so they get IL
hours rest. I wouldn't think OF going
against what he says is good for them.
I'd have 1t on my conscience. Wouldn't
you?"
IF I thought it was bad for the
children, yes"
"But it is bad. The doctor says SO.
Any baby book will tell you"
Now the baby books and the special
lists must speak in general terms
Spinach is good for children. $50 are
other green vegetables.) Children OF
tender years need II hours sleep.
(Some do not) The book could not
talk that way. 1t must be positive
Nor can the specialist, in print, write
in the exceptions. He deals with them
as he meets them. He lays down the
general principle, or rule. and depends
upon the common sense of his readers
for the rest.
No two children are alike. 1t must
be, then, that no rule covers every case.
1t applies to every case. but each child
falls a bit short, or laps bit over the
edges Of the rule. He never quite fits.
II he fits comfortably enough we can
let it go at that; If he cannot wiggle
into comfortable compliance we have
to adjust him and the rule. The test
Of the rule is, Does it work?"
1t is a good idea to feed green vege-
tables to children. If one child, the
odd one, refuses with consistent regu-
larity to accept the vegetables we offer.
try other vegetables and see what hap
pens. Change the kind. That changes
the flavor, the color and the child's
attitude. There is no virtue in any
rule save what it works upon the ruled
one. We want only good for the chill
dren, and if the rule does not create
that, let the rule go and take another
A certain school is fine for one child
and his parents are loud in its praise,
but it failed with another child. There
is no blame to either side. The scheme,
good in itsei. did not work for that
child. 1t did for the other. So it
goes down the long line of children's
experiences. Clothes, diet, tastes, edu-
cation, must each be adapted to the
children, and the children adapted in
turn to them. 1t won't do to say.
Here 1t Is; take it or leave it." Some
effort must be made to make the rule
and the child fit. If they cannot be
adjusted they must be changed, both
Of them.
Conscientious teachers and parents
are fearful of changing the rules for
the individual children. That is the
old Puritan fear of weakening the
spirit by adjusting its burden to its
powers. The real test of any rule has
always been. will 1t. does 1t work?'
and the individual child is the meas
ure Of its success.
Mr.. Patri has prepared a leaflet en-
titled Lying" in which he tells par
ents the causes Of this habit and how
to help children to overcome it. Send
for it, addressing your request to Mr.
Angelo Patri, Child Psychology De-
partment of this paper. Inclose a
self-addressed, stamped (3-cent) en-
velope.
(Copyright, 1861