Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-07-27 | Page 15 | Let Child Talk out His Problems

Let the Child Talk Out His Problems Give Him a Chance to Discuss Discuss Discuss Dis Dis- cuss His Fears and andr Troubles roubles r When little ittle Jimmie comes to you with a tale of horror what do you do do Comfort Comfort him with hut but but bugaboos arent aren't really true Jimmie there arent aren't any tigers in this country Ordo Or Ordo do you ou shut him up kindly but firmly firmy firm firm- ly y Lets n not t talk about it it any more dear lets let's talk about rabbits instead S All of ot which does no good at alL The tigers keep on cropping up no matter malter how v often orten they are sat at upon No amount of or reassurance and patient pa- pa tient argument apparently can cure Jimmie Fimmie of at thinking seeing and feeing feelIng feelIng feel feel- Ing ng tigers Funny ho how children s seem eem to actually actually ac- ac cherish tales of horror how they hug their fears Jimmie doesn't t seem to want to forget his tigers He seems unable to think of anything else Of course he doesn't want to forget for get them Fear is one of the strongest strong strong- est emotions It cant can't be dismissed with a naughty naughty You cant can't run away from tram fear it your back jack invariably The only method fear car has any respect for is the face- face o face one You cant can't close your eyes to o fear bur sometimes you ou can stare him aim out of or countenance Also youcan you youcan can an sometimes talk him out of exist exist- ence The old saying that familiarity breeds contempt can apply to fear and tigers as as' well as to infatuation Talk About His Ills Fears A forbidden privilege ge a forbidden subject and Important important tant just because became it is forbidden Itis Itis It Itis is hard to realize that two men speaking speaking speak ing inga a a. a language you dont don't understand are probably saying nothing more exciting ex cx- citing and momentous than Its Ils aLine a 3 I line fine day dayl If It the subject of tigers and bugaboos Is avoided and repressed the terribleness of tigers and bugaboos buga buga- boos loos is emphasized Dont Don't tell teU your child he i. i is silly to be bc afraid of tigers or to believe in in ghosts Dont Don't dismiss the subject as of no interest or comfort yourself with the notion that by stopping Jimmie talking about tigers you can automatically stop top him thinking about them The only way you can dispel Jimmies Jimmies Jimmie's Jim Jim- mies mie's fear of ot tigers and cure his habit of dwelling on tales Of horror is by encouraging him to talk about aboul them them-on them on and on until he is utterly bored by the subject Encourage him to draw pictures of ot tigers bring up the subject yourself buy him books bookson on tigers Talk about them logically pile on facts about their habits o of life where they are arc found the different dif dit ferent species unromantic details details- until finally the whole tiger problem becomes a dull affair so familiar so full tull of stupid detail that it has less interest for Jimmie himself than rabbits Without intense interest there can be no very strong emotion and certainly not fear Always let your children talk out their troubles their fears their ambitions ambitions am am- and their problems It is the only way they c can n find Ind the real value of them