Scientific Training For Mothers of To-morrow

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 249, 22 October 1935, Page 2

Scientific Training For Mothers of To-morrow

Why not start the training of mothers in the nursery through the medium of the doll? This is the suggestion of Dr. A. Ferguson, an English Medical Officer of Health.

In his annual report he says:— “Wo must train a new typo of mother—one who will forget her mother’s training, and who will' become more uaturally scientifically-minded. The training should start in early life. This can bo done easily in tho day nurseries and in the nursery schools and in the infant classes, and it should be possible to reach the correct playing with dolls on the lines of real infant care :

“The most receptive age, in my opinion, is from thirteen to sixteen, or even earlier, and here is the finest opportunity of instilling the lessons of motherhood into the future generation of mothers. During the last two years of school life all girl's should be taught what motherhood means. “They should be taught that childbirth is a perfectly safe and natural process; that nature rebels against being interfered with, generally with disastrous results “The lesson should emphasise that all processes are natural and safe, for I am afmid that, if the publicity of tho dangers of child-bearing remains in its present intensity, it will defeat its object. Tho future mother must look forward to child-hearing with confidence, otherwise. . . marriages wit become more childless still. Let us instill this confidence and this knowledge into the child of to-day —she will then be tho perfect mother of to-morrow.”