Milford chronicle., 1941-10-31
% M@M e ED WGATI0M M
"The Child's First School is the
Famiiy"-FRoEBRL
Issued by the National Kindergarten
Association, West 40th Street.
New York City
CLOTHES AND THE CHILD
Lois Smelling

DOTd b6llI d DOA luli VI CiOlAiihi
to her young nephew, and among
the things included was a pair o
pants. Visiting in the home latel
she happened to see the pants
fresh and new as on the day she
had sent them.
why, Lii" she said to her sis
ter, Don has never worn these
pants at all. What's wrong with
them?
Embarrassed, Lii shook her head
Il didn't want you to know" she
said, because / thought you might
not understand. 1t was sweet OF
you to send them, and they are so
nice and made of such expensive
material. But Don wouldn't wear
them"
But why? They are nice pants
the style is good, and the ma
terial!"
well, they are short-and Don
says all the boys in his crowd wear
'longies'."
But. Lii, you can't let little tad
like Don select his own clothes
decide what he ought to wear!"
"Oh, yes, l can, and l believe
parents should-to a certain ex-
tent, mean. OF course. we should
not cater to overmuch vanity or to
the desire for extreme styles or too
extravagant tastes.
I'm sorry, Dora, about the pants.
l know how you feel, for I've some
times had my own selections turn
ed down, too. often argue with
Don on the subject of clothes, but
if he is determined, l usually give
in to him. For I'll tell you frank
ly, I'd rather disappoint him in
almost any other way than to force
him to wear what he thinks is not |
correct. Nothing will give a child
an inferiority complex so quickly
as the feeling that his clothes are
not right"
81 understand that" Dora pro-
tested, ''but these pants ARE
right"
mot in Don's mind-and it is his
mind that would develop the COM
plex. / tried to tell him that the
shorts are stylish, and he didn't
doubt my word. But he KNEW that
his friends wear 'longies', and that
if he didn't wear 'longies', he
would be conspicuous. And l knew
that if made him wear those
pants while he felt that way, 1
should be placing him under a
handicap just as surely as if 1 ar
ranged his hair in a queue
why, Dora, I've seen little girls
completely transformed by being
dressed in beautiful frocks. In
fact, can remember, very dis
Linctly, such a transformation act
in small girl named Lii. l re-
too, when was in little
school play-how scared was!
in my brown gingham
lress, 1 felt certain that 1 never
should be able to get up before an
audience and do my part. But
when the time came, 1 was so
slated over the way l looked in my '.
)ink fairy costume, I forgot all
bout being scared.
"And don't ever think little boys Z
re less sensitive about clothes
han girls. In fact, l believe they {
re more so. Their clothes need
lot be so fine, or so many, but they \
ave got to be just right. \
'It wasn't altogether the change n
n Cinderella's outward appearance N
hat enabled her to go out and car =
y off the prince, in spite Of all the U
ther girls charms. 1t was the D
that her fine clothes
rought to her really lovely mind" e
Il guess you're righk" Dora ad- o
lifted. Il know that l am always 1
t my best when am certain that +
m well-dressed." T.
YES" Lii smiled reminiscential- 81
,, land you were when you were a "
mild, too" N