Evening star., 1948-03-23
RE: PUNISHMENT,

RE: PUNISHMENT.
(From Mrs. X. w. C, Alexandria. J
In answer to mothers who punish
babies. I feel that some one should
champion the little ones. I think
I am qualified to speak as I have a
happy little boy of my own who has
never sucked his thumb or shown
any other signs of nervousness.
First of all, I would like to
say that babies and their feelings
seem to be made Of very durable
stuff. They can take good deal
of punishment and still turn out all
right.
1t seems to me that there are far
too many human beings who are
good only because they wish to
avoid punishment. This, I believe
is the direct result of the training
they received during the first six
years of their lives. We could use
more people who are just naturally
decent and considerate without
giving a thought to fear of punish
ment or hope of reward in either
this world or the next.
Discipline is something that
should come from within the in
dividual and not something that is
forced upon him. Self-discipline is
the best kind of discipline, but a
child must be able to understand 1t
first. A baby is not capable of un-
derstanding why he should not do a
thing. An older child, yes, but not
baby.
Nature equips him with certain
drives to help him in his struggle
for self-preservation and later for
self expression. Hunger Is first
The will to learn follows soon after
ward. He needs desperately to
taste, feel and hold everything he
can lay his chubby little hands on
The more he can learn about the
world he lives in, the better he can
cope with 1t. He must learn the
nature of things first before he can
understand what to do about them
Look at it from his point OF view
That bric-a-brac needs inspecting
He knows about plastic and rubber
His early toys are made Of them.
But he's growing and he needs new
experiences to grow on. That brio
a-brac is something new. It's part
of the world he lives in and he
must know about it. It's reachable,
tasteable, patable. It's not like
the tree outside, cloud, the house
next door, the clock on the mantel,
or that pretty picture on the wall.
(You see, he really is learning he
can't have everything). At this age,
If you don't want him to have
something put it out Of his reach.
Rearrange your house, Give him
freedom to experiment with what
ever he is capable of reaching. 1t
Is a small inconvenience compared
to the benefits.
Why not start him out with the
idea. that many things are possible? +?
(Hell learn all too soon, and very
naturally, that there, are limita-
tionsJ Let his life begin on the
positive note. Keep the negative
to a minimum. Here is where he
starts to build his self lf-confidence
and courage. 1t is his job to learn
as much as he can. When you hurt
him while he is trying. and make
angry, hostile gestures toward him,
you can count yourself as the first
person who has shaken his self
respect, made him feel less sure,
planted the first seed of fear to
venture; or, if you have a child
OF extraordinary spirit, here begins
his first rebellion against society.
He's too little to, understand the
why of it. only the unfairness, and
resentment and uncertainty will
begin to accumulate in him. Oh, it
won't be noticeable now. As
said before, they're durable little
creatures and can take a lot. But
it will have some effect on the
kind of adult he is going to be.
But you're spelling him! You're
going to have brat on your hands.
Too many self-centered, self-inter-
ested children result from that
method" I can hear some of you
saying.
No. you won't. if you take the
trouble and patience to teach him
when he's ready to learn. When
that right moment comes he'll be
eager and interested and 1t will be
much easier. T1nA trouble With