Helping Children Towards Happy Adulthood

Press, Volume C, Issue 29610, 5 September 1961, Page 2

Helping Children Towards Happy Adulthood

Just as it was worth while immunising all children, not just some, against diphtheria, so it was worth while making sure that all children developed into happy, well-adjusted adults, said Dr. T. Stapleton yesterday. Dr. Stapleton, professor of child health at the University of Sydney, and Professor W. H. Trethowan, of the department of psychiatry, University of Svdney, were giving the first of a series of public lectures in Christchurch on mental health. The lectures will continue this week. Yesterday’s lecture was entitled “ Enjoy Your Children. ”

In their talks, both speakers reviewed points which arose during professional discussions held in Christchurch last week. One of the points raised during a discussion on pregnant women concerned feeding. “Doctors have sometimes been too enthusiastic about ways of feeding," Dr. Stapleton said. If a baby had to be artificially fed, for medical reasons or because of the mother’s preference, there ■was no reason why it should not grow up to be just as strong and happy as a breastfed baby. Mothers had not denied their babies by not breast-feeding them. Dr. Stapleton spoke of the advantages of hospital delivery, including rest for the mother, and ready medical and technical aid in case of difficulties. "But if the baby is born at home the whole family can have a share in the event," he said. If a second or third child was bom in hospital, it was desirable that other children in the family could visit the mother, and that the father could “be around” at the time of delivery. “It makes it easier for it to be an ordinary event, and not a sick hospital occasion,” Dr. Staple ton said., Mothers who brought their children up naturally in the

first year of life were usually more successful than those who went by the book. Persons in poorer economical circumstances did not worry when things did not go to schedule. “Too Many Books” “Too many books may make a parent anxious,” he said. One of the most worrying factors was that children differed completely from one another, but if one was not making the same progress ar another it was no cause for worry. But parents should nevei hesitate to consult their doctor if they were worried about their child’s progress. Feeding was an example The age at which solids and mixed feeding were introduced varied with each child Some babies would take pureed food from a spoon a* eight or 10 weeks, others « eight or 10 months—it war necessary to experiment with one’s own child. There was no need to be too regular about feeding unless the child was himself regular. Nurses were careful never to impose “textbook” feeding routines on a baby.

Children were very adventurous between the ages of one and six. Dr. Stapleton said. They should be given the maximum opportunity to learn as much as possible in a safe way. If ordinary pre-

cautions were taken, such a; guarding a fire with a screen, and having a safe latch or. a garden gate, very few “don’te” would be necessary. Personal Identity Professor Trethowan said infants had to acquire their own sense of personal identity. They did this at first by exploring their anatomy and learning what was part of themselves and what was not. This playing was not merely amusement but a definite part of the learning process. "The intelligence of individuals is not entirely based on hereditity, but depends considerably on the stimulation of environment,” Professor Trethowan said. Parents had to interest and stimulate their child, as everything it did was an experiment;

Security depended upon the predictability of children’s environment and the consistence of those around them. It could be damaging for a child to have a long and intense separation from its mother soon after birth. “But one cannot generalise It depends on the effect of a situation upon an individual. and a child is an individual and not just a child,” he said. While adults could tolerate some unoredicted happenings. children could not understand this, and looked to their parents for guidance. It was therefore important that the parents’ attitudes should be consistent, and that the child should not be subjected to the differing opinions of each parent. Security and discipline were achieved by consistency. Security also depended upon love, which, to a baby, meant warmth, comfort, food and physical contact. A common error was treating a child as an adult and expecting too much of it, Pro. fessor Trethowan said. This was often associated with diwipline. The chairman of the women’s; activities committee of the Canterbury Mental Health Council (Mrs W. Grant) presided at yesterday’s meeting. About 100 attended, mostly women.