You and Your Child

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 13 June 1939, Page 2

You and Your Child

(By Jane Herbert Goward) DON’T DEFEND CHILD IN HIS QUARRELS Ronald was the most unpopular boy of the neighbourhood, and his mother, the most unpopular parent. The fellows considered Ronald cowardly. He would not defend himself, but ran home, crying, generally returning with his mother. Such a lack of manliness, coupled with the mother’s readiness to fight for her boy, aroused their disgust. It made her their confirmed enemy. Whether Ronald was alone or with her made no difference to the gang. They jeered and whistled insultingly, and if she threatened them, they grew bolder. This naturally substantiated the mother’s belief that these boys were horrid. She was in the habit of saying that the neighbourhood was unfit for a

% decent child, implying that her Ronald j was better than the others. That *he would move away to-morrow if it war* I not the middle of the school term. | It is unlikely, however, that Ronald j will get along any better wherever

j they may live, because he is Ronald i and she is his mother. A belligerent mother creates senoua obstacles in a child's social development. She stands between him and hia | world, not as an arbitrator but as a formidable foe who drives away potential friends. Tommy, another boy of the same neighbourhood, was disliked for being a cry baby, but his mother refused to fight his battles. She realised that by [ interfering she would destroy any I chance that Tommy might have of ever , being accepted by the gang w r ith wholehearted enthusiasm. She took one of the older boys into • her confidence, asking him to tell her r frankly, just what was wrong with [ Tommy, as he had no friends. Flatter- . ed, the boy explained the matter and ; promised to take Tommy under has ; | wing. Before long he had Tommy ; i ashamed to cry and the boys willingly i declared him “in"