Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-15
1t Pays Parents
To Be Honest
with Child
He Realizes When
They're Evading
A Situation
Bv Lettuce Lee Street

More than others. some parents
are wont to practice innumerable
petty receptions upon their unsus-
pecting children. Mothers and
fathers like this intend no harm, of
course. and they are often led to
this guile through their deep desire
to shield their youngsters from all
possible disappointment and disaster
Others evade truth because they
have not the acumen or the mental
power to face situation in its
reality or its unpleasantness.
If you are such one Gathers,
by the way, are frequently more
soft -hearted than mothers, on this
score) wish you would ask yourself
one unadorned question. 1t is: whom
do you think you are fooling? Do
you think your alert boy or girl will
be hoodwinked long by your fairy
tales? Can you honestly josh your
self into believing that some day
your youngster will not deride or
despise you for trying to deceive
him?
Children are realistic. and con-
sequently they are sensitive to sub
terfuge and disguised by anything
underhanded Many children simply
would not believe 1t II they were told
that grownups lie because young
sters look up to adults as being both
wise and good. A parent who is then
discovered in a lie cannot expect his
childs faith in him to remain un-
shaken. 1t is terribly important to
keep ones word to 4 child. and
equally important to be factual in
representing people and events to
him.
Here are some examples Of what
mean. A mother I know made the
mistake of telling her child that the
dentist would not hurt him. She did
this to keep him calm The result
was an outraged little boy, shocked
and surprised into noisy bowling in
the doctors ONCE.
think the following would have
been much more fair to the small
boy.
Bobby: Il don't wanna go to the
dentist"
Mother, calmly: Il don't blame
you. Who does?"
Bobby: I'm scared he'll hurt me-"
Mother, shaking inwardly herself:
He may hurt you little bit II he
does you can let him know and he
will stop right away"
Bobby He will honest?" A pause.
Il still don't wanna 60"
Mother: "Of course, you don't. but
you have to because it will hurt
much more later on If you don't
have that tooth filled now"
Another case in point is the know
it-all parent who will not admit 1t
when he is mistaken.
Jane was doing her home work.
She asked: What are the other two
seven wonders of the world, dad? I
can think OF only five"
Father, grufiy: II am not sup
posed to study your lessons for you"
Jane: please help me, dad"
Father: THE Grand Canyon"
Jane surprised but not intending
to be rude: "Oh, no, dad'
In the final scene poor Jane is
sent weeping upstairs because she
contradicted her father. Before
many more such experiences Jane
will discover her fathers shabby
habit Of pretending and then her
faith and pride in him will visibly
diminish.
Her father would have been wiser
had he said: II have forgotten also,
Jane. Perhaps we can find the other
two in the dictionary. Let's look"
1t takes no great mind to realize
that il the man is to be fearless be-
fore both the physical and mental
tests during his life he must learn
honesty and spiritual courage at his
mothers knee even as he learned
self reliance aWay from 1t,