Evening star., 1938-02-04
A Child Must
Learn From
Mistakes
knowledge Gained
Through Failure
And Success.
By ANGELO PATRI.

WHAT are you trying to do now?'
Mothers tone was that Of ont
tried beyond endurance.
I'm just trying to see If cam
make this motor CO."
Il wish you would stop such monkey
business and do something worth do.
ing. You can waste more time doine
nothing than any two boys your size
and age What good will it do you II
you do make it go?"
If I can make 1t 90 I can use
the old car for lots Of things"
Nonsense. In the first place you
can't make that old thing 60. In the
next place your father would not al.
low you to use the old car on the
road. You'd kill yourself or some.
body else. Leave of this messing
about and do something. I'm just
worn out watching you try first one
thing and then another. You're never
through"
Goodness sakes. mother, I got te
do something, haven't I? want tc
try to make this 60. Give me q
chance, can't you?"
The miracle happened and the
motor did go. He managed to gel
1t into the old car and make it go
too. Then he got a license and USED
his car to carry junk, which he sorted
and sold. He delivered papers. HI
did lots of errands, saving time thai
he put on other experiments. To be
sure the contraption did not last long
but long enough to give the boy 9
feeling Of success and power, and tina,
was something beyond measure, val.
liable to the boy.
Whatever we learn is learned BY
the trial-and-failure, trial-and- sue.
cess method. 1t is the desire to try
something new. to bend every energy
toward succeeding In it, that make.
children and grown people grow. Tht
child who sits still may give you nj
trouble At the time, but he Is likely
to grieve you to the heart by his fail.
ure-to go no place, get nowhere-fai
flatly. 1t is the restless, eager, tryine
child who goes from where he is to tn.
heights beyond his horizon. As h
says, Give me q chance"
When a child plans to do somethine
that you feel is certain to end in fail.
ure try to explain your point Of view
to him. Try to show him why his idel
won't work. If after that he still
wants to go ahead let him unless tn,
cost Of failure would be dangerous
A personally conducted failure Is fal
more informative than an imposed
success. The failure is the outcom,
Of the childs own thinking. desire!
and effort. and touches him, affect!
his life. The imposed success Il
another's thought and another's desirs
and another's success and touches
the child's life scarcely at all, ane
then to his disadvantage.
Say, III you want to do this I won'
stand IN your way. Ill hope you ca,
make it 60. But you must under.
stand that you will shoulder the con.
sequences Of the undertaking your.
SELF" That means that If he run!
out OF money, II he loses his money
and materials, you do not rush to tn,
rescue and supply him again. Hi
failure must educate him to try
again with the mistakes eliminated
Taking the consequences of hi
shoulders takes the education along.
Don't get angry about this sort o.
thing. Be good-humored; let hin
try; let him alone while he tries, ane
afterward. Put yourself in his place
and give him the same chance 70,
would like in his position.
Mr.. Patri has prepared . leaf|e
entitled Crying Children" in which
he tells parents how to cope with th'
crying habit In children. Send fol
1t. Address your request to Mr.
Angelo Patri, Child Psychology De-
partment Of this paper. 1nclose . self
addressed, stamped (3-cent) envelope
(eopsTtsht. 1889