Evening star., 1938-04-07
Record Book
On Infant
Helpful
Gives True Story
To Doctor or
Teachers.
BY ELSIE PIERCE.

DS LLSAL ILRSL
MOTHERS are busy people. They
overlook many things They
must But there is one job that should
not be overlooked because it is so very
important. mean keeping the
baby's record book.
A record of the baby's life. set down
from time to time, can be of the great
est help. 1t is so easy to forget. Con-
fused memories are plentiful, so keep
record. Then when question
arises about the health or the man
agement of the child and you need
accurate information, you have it. 1t
is in the record book. It is worth
while to know whether it was John
or Tom who had measles at 2; whether
John walked at 10 months or at 2
years. whether he got his first tooth
at 6 months or at ! year. These
things do make a difference Some
times they carry a lot of meaning.
All these things are important and
repay you for all the effort it cost to
set them down.
John has a temper tantrum at 10
o'clock in the morning; he refuses to
have his coat and hat put on, he re-
fuses to have them taken away; he
cries and kicks and screams; he has
never behaved like this before. Write
that story in the record book. BY
and by you will find that you have a
picture OF the child as he is, history
Of him as he has been; it tells you
much that you need to know
And put down the good things, the
happy things. These are important,
too. If the child has an unusually
good day. tell about it, If he was
pleased by something or somebody,
set it down. His reactions tell you
something about his tastes and tend
encies-all very useful when you have
to make decision about his educa-
ton or his training. You won't have
to guess; you will know
Read and reread the record everv
once in while. You may discover
that the child is forming an unfortu-
nate habit, and you will set to work
to cure it. Or you may find that he
is developing some fine trait, some
talent, and you can begin to encourage
that talent and help to strengthen it..
Any good blank book will do. Fill
one each year and then begin a new
one. Make the entries in ink. Have
book for each child. If YOU keep
them until the children are married
you can hand the books to them as
wedding presents. I can assure you
that nothing will be more welcome
or more appreciated.
The record may be especially valu-
able to the physician in charge of
the child. Sometimes your child
Wakens with severe pain. Nothing
you can do seems to help. You call
the doctor and he asks, Ever have
any trouble like this before?"
Turn to the record book. In its
pages are set down accounts of Johns
having had such a pain. You find
reference to it again and again. Him.
l thought so,' says the doctor. He
has chronic appendicitis. Lucky you
sent for me-" The record has helped,
The high school principal asks you
to come to talk over Johns future
education. He seems to like me-
chanics." says the principal. Turn
to the record. Here when he was
very little he made a boat out of a.
chip and match. Here you find that
once he made the washing machine
go when nobody else could, and he
was only 8.
Good" says the principal, then
we are safe in sending him to school
OF technology"
There are endless ways Of using the
record. The better you keep it the
more useful it will be.
(Copyrisht. 1881