Evening star., 1942-12-02
Child's Honesty
Behind Unkind
Remarks
Teaching Tact and
Restraint Every
Mothers Task
Bv Leffice Lee Street,

Small Betty was dressed in her
daintiest frock, and her curls were
still damp where mother had per-
suaded them to fall in pretty
ringlets. Daddy and mother were
having an afternoon party and
Betty was much excited over the
prospect of meeting the guests, but
principally over wearing such a
lovely new dress. She Wriggled out
of her mothers reach as soon as
possible and dashed downstairs
where she stood, small nose pressed
against the window, watching for
the first people to arrive.
An elderly woman came to the
front door, and Betty promptly
opened it for her to enter. The
lady smiled and held out her hand,
which Betty took politely as she
piped, How do you do?" and
dropped a graceful curtsy.
The two eyed each other, smil-
ing. Said Betty. suddenly, for no
good reason, Il do not like your hat
and you have lots of wrinkles on
your face. You must be awful old"
She said all this with bright and
friendly eyes, and with a sweet, un-
malicious smile.
The lady bridled, and scolded,
What rude child you are!"
Betty stared in astonishment,
stood for awhile observing the
guest uncertainty, and then ran out
of the room.
Another child I know, Billy, by
name, is gentle, kind-hearted
little boy of 5. He is gentle, that
is, where animals and little chill
dren are concerned, but he is as
lively and boisterous as the next one
when he is playing. His mother
took him for train trip one day,
and in the station as they were
waiting, she suddenly heard Billy's
clarion clear voice echo through the
large building. He shouted, Mum
mie! Look! That man has only one
leg!"
There might be some stuffy old
groWn-ups who would raise shocked
eyebrows and snort about how i'll
behaved these children were.
Granted that these three young
sters all made remarks that are not
considered good taste according to
adult standards. Grown-ups are
likely to forget that what seems
wrong to us seems perfectly all
light to youngster. They live in
an entirely different world, their
Ideas are as foreign to ours as
night is to day.
1t is not, then, that children who
make uncomfortable statements
are mean, or rude or vicious, they
simply have not yet acquired the
slick veneer of culture" that our
civilization and customs demand
Children are unmalicious, for
giving and guileless. They are also
utterly honest, and if they do not
like something or some one they
see no reason to be hypocritical
and pretend that they do.
Conforming to custom is a neces-
sity, of course, and refraining from
making tactless remarks is not
hypocritical, it is kind So
mother must gradually teach her
frank and outspoken small fry to
realize what is and what is not
polite thing to say, from the view
point of kindness to "the other
fellow"
She will not succeed if she be-
rates or Furnishes a child for any
bald statement. This only serves
to confuse, hurt and frighten the
youngsters. He then thinks there
is something evil about wrinkles,
ugly hats and physical deformi-
ties, following the statements of the
children above. He is likely to think
that what he said is wrong, not the
fact that he said it.