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Show Word of Praise Helps Build Child's Esteem During the years before school a little child is feeding his sell in stlnct . . Tf he appears to be Indifferent to the comfort 0 others it Is not to be worried about On the contrary he needs help In satisfying the urge that nature has pu therl K 1 is to . develop an assurance and self-confidence it Ms now that the seed is well-sown and fertilized. The fertilizer Is praise. . It Is quite common to give the little boy or girl material things to instill a feeling of natural pride This is a mistake. To be sure he needs toys, and many of them, to keep him busy. Also It does set up the "possession complex" which s strongly associated with the 'self complex." But when it comes to assurance as-surance of worth in himself, possessions pos-sessions alone fall far short of the mark. Praise is a powerful booster of self-respect. In the first place he is suspicious that he cannot do things well, as of course he can't. Secondly, he Is so busy with his many activities and Impulses lie is bound to have accidents and get Into trouble. These things all make him very prone to criticism and scolding, or even ridicule just at a time when he needs the reverse. To keep him bolstered in his own esteem and yet to train him to be a likable little person is a real task And yet It is surprising how much trouble can be avoided by this very process. Being mentally happy, he will be more placid, and there will be fewer dally storms. The other half, of course, is to have his routine so regular that he will come to accept orders without too much stampeding. Praise a little child for his awkward awk-ward attempts to do things. His most vulnerable spot is his "doing." To tell him (or her) he is sweet and pretty may not do any harm, but It is not the constructive praise that gets results. All children need praise, generally general-ly speaking, and It Is an out-moded idea that they don't Olive Roberts Barton, in the New York World-Telegram. |