Milford chronicle., 1942-08-07
% o ME EDUGA1T 10 NJ
"Thf ChildS Eirsf School il tie
Family-FRoEBEL
Issued by the National KinderRarten
Association. 9 West 40th Street.
New York City
FACT OR FICTION

Janet T. Van Osdel
On her way home from her day
teaching, Bess Devon stopped at he
sister Martha's. She found her FIVE
year-old nephew Tommy seated ii
a corner of the living room, face t.
the wall.
Hello, Tommy! Where's mo.
ther?" she asked.
AT the store. 1 can't talk, Aunt
Bessl Hello!"
When will she be back?"
Mother said can't talk. Aunt
Bess."
Sorry, Tommy"
She kissed the back Of his neck
and went out on the side porch.
Hello, Bess!" greeted Martha,
arriving with an acquaintance fif-
teen minutes later. "It's ages since
I've seen you! But I'm tired! I'd
give anything to own a car. This is
Mrs. Urdeman. She came in to write
a card. Mrs. Urdeman, there is
the desk; help yourself"
why have you turned your hon
orable sons face TO the WALTZ" ask
ed Bess. "And / mean honorable!
There he sits, conscientiously re-
fusing to talk, as mum as though
you were watching him!"
"And he'd rather talk to you than
eat, Bess! Well, he's there for a
good reason-he will say things
that aren't true!"
What was it this time?"
"He and the Malcolm twins were
playing on the steps here when it
began to rain. Tommy said, Wed
better go in before we get wet!'
Billy Malcolm answered, Rain
won't hurt us! We can't melt!
Then Milly Malcolm piped up, 4
did melt once, and ran away like
a little brook"
"Children!" laughed Bess indul-
gently.
"Then Tommy said. I never did
melt, but can remember back a
hundred years. We kept a lion tln-
der the bed!' Imagined"
Time seems much longer to chill
dren than to adults. AS for the lion,
perhaps he does think there was
one under the bed long ago. He
may have had realistic dream; a
mouse or cat may have been
there; a garment dropped that as
sumed crouching shape! Who are
We to say that Tommy's mind did
not see a lion?" ~
But, Bess, he can't go around
talking like that. He'll grow up
immoral! And for this
once I'm furnishing him, he's said
a thousand things that I've let
pass!" J.. =. .. s- .. ~.
Here is something to think of,
Mat: children live in a world of
their own. Only at rare moments
does even the most understanding
adult get even a glimpse into their
worldi Two-thirds of that world is
pure imagination. Did Tommy and
Billy question Milly when she said
she had melted and run away like
a brook. Did they try, to make Tom
my prove he had seen a lion under
the bed? No! That is all a part of
the funny world they live in, and
it passes except with a too-literally
child. You say Tommy tells
lies-would you trust a liar?"
mot an inch? That is why"
"Yet you trust Tommy to sit
there, his face TO the wall, and take
his punishment on this sweltering
him to do 1t even when
he knows you have left the house!"
q "All I want, Bess, is to bring
Tommy up to be q good mani"
You don't have to destroy his
to do that! He might
grow up to be good without imagi-
nation, but he'll never be great or
live a full life without it! By the
way, Mat, why don't you take your
own punishment? You said you
hadn't seen me for ages-I was
here five, days ago! You said you'd
give anything for car. Would you?
You said that Tommy makes thou
sand misstatements for which he
should be punished"
But I was only speaking igu-
ratively!"
Granted! Why not let Tommy
speak fguratively sometimes?
What do you think Mrs. UrdemanT
as that lady closed the desk.
II think" she answered serious
ly, that imagination is an almost
priceless gift, but-also-that the
of others in ones word
is priceless. Little children need to
be helped to separate fact from
fiction in their own thoughts and
desires. Their failure to do this
should neither be punished nor ig-
nored. 1t means that we have not
yet succeeded. Punish Tommy only
if he lies maliciously, through cow
or to escape responsibility
for his actions. At other times
pardon my frankness-" smiling at
sit is the parent who should
take the blame"
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING