Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-01-15

days. But some one must keep on
doing the unglamorous job of bring
ing up the next generation. There
will be no medals for valiant service,
no headlines and no publicity right
now, but Is years from now the
woman who has had a hand in
watching and guarding this years
children will have her own reward.
Children are far more aware Of
the tension under which we are all
living than we know. They cannot
put 1t into words, but they respond
to the excitement all around them,
to the nervous tension of their fam
lily or parents just as delicately
tuned radio picks up sound vibra-
tons. 1t is reasonable to expect
that mature adult, their mother.
would understand and protect them
in any way possible.
A mothers task right now Is to
stand guard over her own home
and ward off as much of the fear
and frenzy as possible It is not
possible to protect her children from
the horrors of war when every
radio, newspaper and dinner-table
discussion as well as the games they
play are on that one subject. The
modern mother wishes her offspring
to be aware and able to cope with
almost any situation the world has
to offer. But it is her business to
be standing by to sift all the hor-
ror through her own good judg-
ment. and to offer reinsurance and
confidence so that her child may
have sense of safety in an upset
world.
When your 3-year-old begins to
act excited and nervous, when he
can't sit still for more than two
minutes and insists upon holding
the center of the stage to catch at
tention, and ends up with a crying
spell, he needs your quiet serenity
to sort him out" Time was when
the nervous, too-active child was
given more activities to tire him.
but the modern approach is to quiet
him down, give him regular rest
periods and attempt to unwind his
overtaXed nervous system until it
can take the normal excitement of
play in its stride.
No one can know the subtleties of
a child's mind better than his own
mother. All her natural training
and equipment makes her the ideal
person to understand what is best
for him. If she will put half the
time and effort it would take her
to be a nurses aid or a file clerk
into learning what is back of her
chlld's behavior, she will be an in
valuable soldier in this battle of liv-
ing we are waging.
For her assistance in this full time
and worthwhile job, there are in
Vulnerable and fascinating books at
the public library on the care, train
ing and understanding of children.
When Encouragement overwhelms
her completely there are trained
psychiatrists who are able to adj
wise and start her out on a new
course of action. The problem of
the only child may be settled
by placing him in a small nursery
school group where he learns to get
along with other children. The
backward or diffident child may be
so simply because Of a lack of a
few extra vitamins, poor hearing or
poor eyesight, which will be very
quickly detected by the pediatrician.
There is assistance in every depart
ment to help her do her job. but
the will to do it must come from
her, and it is one chore that she
is not permitted to quit.
This town of ours has great need
of serenity now. The mature wom-
an has this to offer above all else
and she should never forget its i'm
portance for a moment. To be able
to make her home a quiet refuge
is most satisfying. To know that
her children feel safe when she is
near is to have found her own value.
To be port in storm" to family
and friends during these days Of
increasing stress and strain is suf-
fciently gratifying to make the eff
fort worth while.
This is the first in a group OF
seperdl articles dealing Nth the
problems OF childhood in a World
Mt 1r1r