GRASPING THE TRUTH AT A GLANCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17915, 3 August 1926, Page 11

GRASPING THE TRUTH AT A GLANCE.

THE SWIFT APPREHENSION OF A CHILD. The other day a mother of my acquaintance took me up into the 'nursery to see her child at play. We had hardly entered the f door, when the toddler, aged twenty months, gave us one swift glance and said,. “Oh! Mummyys got new shoes.” I may say J had not noticed it myself—but children are more observant.. T do not think we. adults make anything like sufficient allowance for the intense interest that the child takes in everything that goes on round it. The world is a new and wonderful and exciting place. Everything that happens is immensely grand. and important. But especially grand and important are the things that happen to. and are observed of, the beloved parent. The observant child does not find it necessary to adopt an attitude of watching or listening. Flow often has\ one heard adults discussing intimacies in the presence of a child, apparently completely absorbed in his play, and saying, when taxed.. “He’s much too interested in what he’s doing to pay any attention to us.” Nothing could be further from the truth and often, perhaps Weeks later, one has evidence that the child, who was apparentlv preoccupied with, say, a sick doll, drank in every word of a conversation that was not intended for his ears. THE ABILITY TO MIMIC. But this is not the only reason why we must never fail to allow for the child’s uncanny observation. For he not only observes, but he mimics. A child does not learn to react intelligently to his environment as a result of good precepts—he learns from constant, assiduous, and worshipping watching of his parents. And we must remember that it is not only the big things that he notices: not only the carefully-studied words and behaviour of his parents when they are on their party manners. If he can observe a triviality like new shoes, he can observe anything, and one's actions speak louder than words. For example, it is not of the slightest avail to give little sermons on the wickedness of losing one’s temper. If you want your child to be eventempered, do not teach him to be even-tempered. These are mere words. Be even-tempered yourself. The child has a simple .trust in the parent's behaviour and mode of life. lie believes they arc the best possible. The parents must sec to it that that trust is never betrayed.