The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-08-11
BY EDITH BRANDS

STUDENTS of the human mind tell
- us that children may be and
often are conditioned" toward re-
sentiment and bitterness when they
are very young, by-can you believe
it?-their mothers. Later this con-
ditioning which is an actual change
in nerve structure is indicated by
bad disposition, an unpleasant per-
sonality. We say Of such a person,
He has a chip on his shoulder"
There will. be an almost infinite
number of incidents in the early life
Of almost any child, which, if wrong
ly dealt with, will form fighting hab-
its. Let us consider a simple, UNI
derstandable, all too common ex-
ample. 3s
A little boy is making something
he calls a boat. He is happy and
intent on his piece of work. His
mother speaks to him. When he
does not respond instantly to her
bid for his attention she snatches
the toy away from his hands in a
surge of anger. She is, she thinks,
teaching her child instant obedience
to and respect for his elders. If
he is child of spirit he, instructive
ly, will respond to anger with anger.
If he cannot give vent to his re-
sentiment at being interrupted-of
course he must never fight back at
Mother-he will have a thwarted
feeling associated with the breaking
of his concentration and the snatch
ing away of his project.
Should similar incidents repeated
ly occur, the resentment he will feel
and the entire train of reactions
which will follow can hardly fail to
become deep-seated. They are now
involuntary-a fixed habit. When
this stage is reached, nothing but
careful arrangement of situations in
which the child receives sympathet-
ic consideration and makes desir-
able reactions as a natural conse-
quence win bring him back to nor
NAL behavior.
Now there is hopeful thing about
habit formation. If it be true that
the child may be and often is ''con-
ditioned" toward undesirable beha-
vior, it is also true that he may be
conditioned for peaceful, harmonic
GUS and productive living.
Home Is First School.
The mother, who is the child's first
teacher, and his best if she be wise
and resourceful, should understand
the value of the early plans and
activities he sets up for himself.
They are his preparation for the
larger plans, greater productivity
and development of initiative when
he is older. During his moments Of
intense concentration she must try
never to interfere. She must see
that certain amount of his time
is used by and for himself without
interruption. Respect for his eld-
ers may be taught him in connection
with other matters to which they
are more properly related.
The child whose individuality is
recognized and respected, whose ini-
tiative is encouraged, will form de-
sirable habits of self-expression. He
will enter the world with a self
confidence and an inner control that
will enable him to meet his prob
lens with courage and competence.
Deep within himself he will know,
he will remember, that he has
planned, he. has wrought, he has
achieved. To successful living there
is no greater asset than to be able to
say, SIN the past ! have planned
things and made my plans come
true" Following such a statement
will always be this: "What I have
done ! can do again."
National Kindergarten Association
(WNU Service)