Evening star., 1938-10-12
Child Learns
Only by His
A Protecting Hand
Often Does More
Harm Than Good.
By ANGELO PATRI.

Children need to live their own
lives more fully, even more pain
fully, than parents like to believe.
Always they like to keep protecting
hand between the children and Efe's
rough ways. What the children must
have in order to grow in power and
authority is the f1rst-hand knowledge,
the practical experience of living.
LET me do those dishes for you,
mother. You must be tired" said a
teen-aged daughter.
"Oh, no. I don't want you to spoil
your hands. What do you know about
washing dishes?"
Another mother sits sewing by the
hour. Why? We'll, Clara needs a
costume for the play. She is supposed
to make it herself, but I'm afraid she
would spoil it and, anyway, I want her
to look her best"
A father refused to let his son NOV
lawns or tend furnaces although the
boy had secured such jobs so 6hat he
could earn some money on his own.
Certainly not. can give you the
money What's the idea?"
A girl ran most of the way home III
her haste to tell her mother that she
was to cook one meal for the family,
serve it and take a report on her work
back to the teacher. Can I do it
tomorrow night, do you think, mother?"
"Oh, I'll get it all ready for you. You
needn't trouble. You can clean vege-
tables, make dessert and cook meat
dish. I'll do it and you can watch
while it cooks. Thatll be just as good" :"
These parents meant well. They
were trying to save their children
trouble and work. In their adult minds
they believed that work was a trouble,
a burden to children, whereas it is a
joy. They try to shield their children
from experiences that the children are
eager to have and need to have.
When ROLAND spent his weeks al
lowance in one afternoon buying toys
from peddler, who happened along
at dismissal time, his father felt sorry
for him and made it up. When Clara
cried for an unsuitable dress, her
mother let her have it, and wher it
proved its unsuitability beyond all
doubt by parting company with its
seams and trimmings, mother made it
good and went without a new dress
herself. The boy should have gone
without any further allowance that
week, SO he could learn by practical
experience why he should buy care
fully and make certain to get his
moneys worth, and the girl should
have made good the loss of the dress in
some way, or have gone without so that
she could learn the same lesson.
e Life has to be lived Give the chill
dren their chance early. Let them get
things at first hand whenever possible.
We have to protect them from dan
ger, but that does not mean that
we are to cheat them out of living on
their own power. They have right to
make mistakes and to profit by them.
Making mistakes is no crime. Nor
is 1t cause for anger. A mistake made
in good faith, accepted and corrected
as far as possible, is a stimulus to
growth. A child has right to make
mistakes, a right to practical, painful,
educational experiences.
Mr.. Patri has prepared a leafiet
entitled, "The Bashful Child" in
which he tells parents how to cope
with oversensitiveness in children.
Send for it. addressing your request
to Mr.. Angelo Patri, Child Psychol-
ogy Department Of this paper. In.
close q self addressed, stamped (3-
cent? envelope.
(Copyrisht. ao3e.)