The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-08-04
Unsupervised
Play May Be
Bad for Child
OLDER CHILDREN
likely to establish feeling of
irferiority by "bossing"
younger playmates. Auyoung-
sters should be taught the
pleasure Of wholehearted.
friendly cooperation.
BY LAURA GRAY

son, Teddy" complained Mrs.
Bacon to her neighbor, Mrs. Morton.
EVERY time he goes to play with
Robert, Teddy comes back so cross,
so irritable, can do nothing with
him. And he used to be such a
sweet-tempered youngster."
Roberts older than Teddy, isn't
he?" asked Mrs. Morton.
"Only year and half, but he
looks three years older; he's so big
and sturdy. Roberts mother and I
have been taking charge of the two
children on alternate days. This
gives each of us every other day
free"
"What a clever arrangement. But
perhaps the boys see too much of
each other. How do they get on
when Robert comes to your house?"
ooh, they scrap little; don't in
terfere. But this morning Teddy
made a great ado about going to
play with Robert. He didn't want
to CO." ?
"Well, there are some people
much as I love them = that I
wouldn't want to spend every day
with" unused the neighbor. II
should say, in this case, that the
older boy is wearing out the little
fellow. Having always to give in
to subject ones own wishes-be-
comes monotonous."
II wonder if you are right"
Next day, when six-year-old Rob-
ert came to play with four-year-old
Teddy, his mother, in the next room,
was alert to note what went on.
"Let's play train!" suggested Rob-
ert, sweeping things from small
table and jerking it upside down.
"No. want to cut out pictures!"
pouted Teddy, already comfortably
seated in the midst Of litter.
"Oh, come on!" Robert snatched
the scissors from the little fellow.
"You may be engineman!"
Storm Stopped Temporarily.
This magnificent condescension
stopped the imminent storm of pro-
test from Teddy. He jumped up and
willingly helped arrange chairs be-
hind the table. "Going to be engine
man! Going to be engineman!" he
kept repeating.
"You may be engine driver after;
I'm going to be first!" The bigger
boy seated himself on top of boxes
at the head of the procession, and
mimicked escaping steam with vivid
reality.
Teddy reluctantly took the seat
behind. At last the steam gave out.
'My turn now!" he cried.
''No, let's play something elsel
This is no fun!" The "steam"
jumped down and wrecked the
train!
The boys went into the garden.
Robert rushed to the shed, took out
Teddy's new tricycle. and kept it the
rest of the morning. How the owner
longed to enjoy his new toy! He'd
had very little chance as yet-the
boys being almost always together.
And so the day went on, the older
boys wishes always being carried
out, and the younger never expert
encing that satisfaction with regard
to his own. No wonder poor Teddy
was worn out with giving in!
"You'l have to tidy up!" trium-
phantly, at the end of the day, IT
always do when you come to play
with mel" Robert beamed at the
playroom that looked as if cyclone
had passed through 1t.
At last he was gone!
Half day or even a whole daa
together, once in a while, would have
been a good experience for these
boys, but every day was too much.
And we should all remember, too,
that while some unsupervised play
is beneficial for young children, the
periods should not be overlong.
No child should be "under-dog"
all the time. This is apt to establish
an idea of inferiority, not easily
eradicated. Neither is it good for a
more vigorous child to have his own
way always. He should be taught to
be fair, and learn that there can be
real pleasure in giving in.
National kindergarten Association
(WNU Service.)