OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 70, 15 December 1928, Page 18

OUR BABIES

(By Hygeia.) Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at tlie top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom. Forming a Character. Though written a good many years ago now, the following quotations from Sir Truby King's book for mothers, "Feeding and Care of Baby,” needs no introduction or qualification. In one's experience amongst mothers and children one so frequently sees instances of failure on the part of parents to grasp "the plain meaning of the word spoiled’” in relation to their children that one is moved to bring forward again these wise words upon the subject:— Obedience in Infancy. “Obedience in infancy is the foundation of all later powers of self-control; yet it is the one thing the young mother nowadays is most inclined to neglect. Instead of gently, wisely, and firmly regulating her baby’s habits and conduct, she tends to ttllosv him to have his own way and to rule her ami the whole household. No so the wiser so-called ‘lower animals.’ The dog and the cat carefully train their progeny in necessary habits of regularity, cleanliness, etc., from the start, and, as has been pointed out by Long, Steon-Thompsou, and others, they chide, cuff, and punish them when necessary rather than allow the formation of bad and irregular habits, which would exact far greater penalties later on. All this is done by instinct; and the human mother, with the stronger love and the greater wisdom which should be hers, would have no difliculty in guiding her child aright by firmness and consistency alone, without resorting to punishment, if she would but start at the beginning. The establishment of perfect regularity of habits, initiated by ‘Feeding and Sleeping by the Clock’ (see pages 35, 3G). is the ultimate foundation of all-round obedience. Granted good organic foundations, truth and honour can be built into the edifice as it grows. “‘Building the Teeth’ and ‘Forming a Character’ are parts of construction of the same edifice—standing in the relationship of the underground foundations of a buildinsr to the superstructure.

“Simply Won't!”

“Our dentists tell us that nowadays when they insist on the eating of crusts and other hard food, the mother often says, ‘Our children simply won’t!’ — simply ’won’t' comply with laws which have a higher sanction and greater antiquity than the authority of man , himself! Such children merely exemplify the ineptitude of their parents —parents too sentimental, weakly emotional, careless,, or indifferent to fulfil the primary laws of Nature. The ‘can’t-be-so-cruel mother, whose baby cries half the night and frets all day on account of the mother's failure to fulfil one of the first

of maternal duties, should not blame I’rovideuce or heredity because her progeny has turned out a ‘stmpiy-won’t in intaucy, and will become a selfish ’siuipiy-cau t’ in later childhood and adolescence. Bower to ouey tlie ‘Ten Commandments’ or to couiurm to Hie temporal taws and usages ot society is not to be expected ot ‘spoiled’ baoies when they reach adult lite. 'Hie plain meaning of the word spoiled' is worth some reflection. Everyone grasps the lull significance of spoiling a dress or spoiling a dinner, but tiie spoiling of a child is regarded more lightly !

"Unselfishness and altruism are not the natural outcome of habitual selfindulgence. Damaged health and absence of discipline and control in early life are the natural foundations of failure later ou —failure through the lack of control, which underlies all weakness of character, vice, and criminality. "Dr. and Mrs. Fitz, in a book dedicated ’To those Parents who deem the Training of their Children their Supreme Privilege and Duty,’ say: "‘Even as the child's constitution (however weak or strong through heredity) may be markedly changed by fresh air, suitable feeding, proper clothing, and au abundance of sleep and exercise, so the child's character (whatever the inherited tendencies) may be transformed for good or for bad by training. “ 'The child at birth has a brain which is the physiological foundation of the adult brain The child's character, roughly fashioned by heredity, begins to be moulded for good or ill on the day on which he is born. “•There are few sights more pathetic than that of the weak mother not daring to lay her child down because he will erv for the snuggling warmth of her arms, which in the few days of Ins apparently unintelligent existence he has learnt can be had for the crying. Critically to watch a baby ‘work’ his mother is truly enlightening, because his physical helplessness makes it seem so incredible And when the mother has yielded during the first few weeks to the demands of her chilfl’s cries, the chains of, her slavery are curiously hard to break.

DANCING RECITAL. Miss Kathleen Haire held a break-iug-up exhibition of her pupils at Kilblruie Hall ou Wednesday, when the children gave a programme of dances and exercises. The froeking was very pretty find made Quite a feature of the performance, especially the classical buttercup frocks in one dance and the Early Victorian ones of the gavotte. The performance began with marching and bar work, arm and toe exercises, and the different positions and steps used in ballet dancing. The performers in the dance were Gretchen Diamond, Vivienne and Joy Collie, Betty Robison, and Patty Staube, all of whom took part in a Grecian dance; Nancy Marshall and K. Bognuda, in Copeiia ballet;; Vivienne Collie and Nancy Neese, in a sailors’ hornpipe, Patty Hunt and Jock Staube, in a fairy dance; Betty Robeson, in an eccentric dance; Vivienne Collie, in a classical dance; June Thompson, D. and J. Joyes, K. Bognuda, E. Fletcher, T. Hall, E. Condliffe, E. Guy, and W. Marshall, in a classical operatic ballet; Dorothy Joyes, in an Eastern dance; Winnie O’Sullivan and Alacian Guy. in an Eastern dance; Joan Joyes, a toe dance; N. Neese. Ida Hall, Elvira Condlift'e, and Enid Fletcher, in a gavotte; and C. Guy, AV. O’Sullivan, J. and D. Joyes, and Enid Guy, in a Spanish dance.