LECTURE ON CHILD TRAINING GIVEN TO PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18803, 4 July 1929, Page 3

LECTURE ON CHILD TRAINING GIVEN TO PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION.

In the course of an address on child training, Mrs T. E. Taylor, who spoke to a meeting of the Christchurch Parents’ Association last evening, dealt with the subjects of parenthood and world citizenship which, she said, had a great human value, but were not sufficiently expounded in the schools. The training of the child, she said, should embody these subjects and it was necessary that the child should learn about them early in life. .The finest thing that could happen to a child was that the parents should have, from the very beginning, a definite plan for its future. Parents should early agree on what form of earning a living the child should be put to, and they should use every endeavour to train it along those lines. Particular attention should be paid to the child's training during the first six years of its life. It was during these years that influence could be most beneficially brought to bear, and good habits formed during this period would have their reflection in the mature years. It was necessary that parents should look further ahead than merely that the child should be proficient in the subjects it would learn at school. World citizenship and parenthood were subjects which were barely touched in the schools, yet they were subjects of a very human value. They were important in the living of life and just as important as any subject taught in any secondary school. “ The women of New Zealand,” said Mrs Taylor, “do not value the rights of citizenship which they have. In this country men and women have equal rights, yet the woman is neglecting her part The girls of the country should be taught the value of citizenship, so that they will grow in a force prepared to do their share in the interests of the country.” The peace of the world depended largely upon the parent who was training the citizens of the future. The parent should take care that the child should be educated in strong principles of world citizenship. This would be a means of preserving peace between the nations.