Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-05-29
Problems
With the Children
E2oeA - IL Natisaal KinAerEaT.
- AaDoctatio0. West toth ST.
New Y0sk City
BY EMMA GARY WALLACE

Robert was the. first child in the
family and was made much Of by his
parents. grandparents. aunts and un-
| cles. He was showered with gifts, but
mechanical toys and construction sets
never appealed to him He liked to
hear stories and was quick to talk
about them and to ask questions.
He lived in the city where there
were As children of approximately the
same age or little older on the
block. Sometimes Robert liked to play
with these children, but more often
he enjoyed his own imaginary COM
panions. They were seven or eight in
cumbersome of them boys and some
girls, and all had names, most of
which came from some story that had
been read or told to him.
For the most part, he planned for
himself occupations which included
these storybook comrades. Perhaps he
would say as supper was nearly ready,
'Mommy, may I ask Alice and Jack
have supper with us?" and when his
mother would say, YES" he would
go to the door and call them to come.
That was enough. From that point
on, they were there as far as he was
concerned, but he seldom talked with
them before other people.
Robert was not outstanding in any
way in the nursery school when he
began to attend it. His teacher said
he was always ready to do what the
others were doing or to watch them.
When Tony was born. Robert was
much pleased with his baby brother.
From the first, Tony was very differ
ent. He soon began to use his hands
and to enjoy handling things turning
them about and placing them in diff
ferent positions. If he put a block on
the edge of box or chair, he watched
it as if he expected it to do some
thing. If it tumbled off. he would take
another block and watch how near
the edge he could put it without its
tumbling, or he would throw it and
show interest in where it landed.
He was not laxative, although he
talked earlier than Robert. Evidently
he benefited from Roberts conversa-
ton. But he was not inclined to
play with Robert. He preferred to en-
terrain himself.
Robert had been given each Christ
mas for three years, a constructive
mechanical outfit, each set, in turn,
being more advanced than the previous
seemed to care for these. one of his
relatives had continued to give him
the sets. The fourth year, Tony was
old enough to handle the last set, and
he went to work trying to figure out
how to use the different parts. His
father, who had for some time real
lied that his two small sons were very
different, got out simpler set which
had long been put away. Tony had
the time Of his life.
He was like Robert in that he was
not interested in playing with other
children to any marked extent. He
would watch them If what they were
doing appealed to him, but usually in
a few minutes he would turn to his
own things for entertainment.
When he first went to nursery school,
he was irked by anything savoring of
routine and plainly displeased when
he was interrupted in what he was
doing. He rarely asked questions, for
he had his own ideas, even to the
point of naming things.
Clearly the two brothers are very
different and may be expected to de-
velop along entirely different lines.
Fortunately, their parents are follow
ing the wise course of giving each child
an opportunity to follow his own in
clinations much of the time, but part
of the time, the two are encouraged
to share the same occupations.
In this way, it Is hoped that the
children will develop individual per-
sonalities and still have better rounded
interests and characters because of
their time spent together.