Milford chronicle., 1940-05-03
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The Chiid's Fig5f Scbo0l Is NE
Famiiy FR0EBEL
Issued By the National KindsFgartoh
Association, West 10th Blreet,
New York CITY
0Oe
IDE.aTEPPINR REGPnN4ERTEITN
SIDEfsTEPPING REsPONsIBILITY
sliMA oARY uALLAcE

I @A-iaA NAAAA 0sa-11NH
Hilda is about three years Of age.
There Is now another baby Ia the
family, and so her charming young
mother has her hands quite full
Hilda very early must have UNDER
gone some experience which initiated
tendency to dlsclain responsibility
when anything unpleasant happened,
even when she knew she was really
end truly TO. blame. OF course no
one remembered this unfortunate
occurrence.
Mrs. Thornton the little girls
mother, WIS worried now because
Hilda so often told an out-ahd-Out
wrong story to estashlish an alibi
for herself When water was spilled
on the rug she was quite likely TO
look up sweetly az tha sene who was
right there and nj do Il and
say, my HlumAi theti Hilda
In fact, her porge iigentiOn and
resOurcefuinessi fiis getting out OF
things was quitA am zi6 and often
it was almost Ia pos bic not TO
laugh at the rap IL ylt wbich the
Cu1iu CuuAu sHA4t5TH q nv y 70 otiA N ulCu
she wanted p he ffesy
At first, felatiteB and friends ad-
E1sed Hilda's moi llVt to pay any
attention To the lilt i6iie's readiness
to get out Of thih
"That's Just d si1a phase" one
after another 6l tn assured the
busy young la1tba Il % 4 gped plan
not to pay any "a tiOu 10 what
Hilda does about u thiuSe Other
wise, you'll be to Impress upon
her mind that what she says and
does under such circumstances will
receive attention, aud then she may
continue simply to secure that at-
tention. She'll soon get over the
habit. Of ccncgcting those queer little
yarns.
But It didn't work out that way.
Instead Of that. the child seemed TO
develop an even greater faculty for
Invention for the sake 0e denial.
Even when her face was siheared
with berry pie. she looked up serene
ly and declared, sflllda good girl
jamie ther little coHgin) eat berry
pie. I say No, NC but jamie wouldn't
listen" $40
5 AS Hilda,s mother thought the mat
tef,Oyer, she could bring 20 mind sew
eral Of her own Hcquaintanees who
never, according 10 their account,
were to blaine for anything. Those
persons were not looked upon as de-
and as HiIda'a 9 mother cav
Il, they mUst have formed thia habit
when they Wefe yoQns aud kepts0n
fostering II,
, II did not seem sensible 70 her to
let HlIda continue 70 develop this
habit. So the next time her little
daughter told 4 "laify tale Of this
kind, Mrs. Thornton at once brought
ler to account.
"No, Hilda," she said firmly, Jan
is didn't break the glass tumbler. |
You let it fall and t broke. Don't you
remember"
"Janie broke tuihbier." Hilda In
sisted. looking straight into her mo-
ther's eyes.
what was TO be done No one had
actually seen what happened. but
jamie was not at hand when the
glass fell.
Mrs. Thornton took her small
daughter by the hand, led her into a !
side room ami placed her In chair.
please stay here, Hilda," she
said runtil you are able to tell Mo
her the trne story abnut the tum-
bier. l want you "a Think about what
really happened, ana then come aud
ell me about II. Don't come until
rOu can tell It iliat right Pefhaps it
Eill be hard Tor you but I think you
IAN do It.
Il wasn't long before Hilda came
md told just what had happened.
Then her mother said gently, Thank
7Ou, EIilda. / enjoyed that story. We
ion't like fairy stories about the
bings we do. we tell true stories
bout all the things We DO. When you
ell true stories, people believe you
md love you.
After this, The one word 'True?"
Uttered quentioningly by her mother
quickly brought q truthful statement
rom Hilda, and u gas not long be-
ore all evidences 0f Z aablte to side
itep responsibility bad completely