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Show I School ( and jj Home 4fe 1 by Dr. Daryl J. McCarty W""-' Executive Secretary ,siLk Utah Education Association .jSWv-J But that other problem -: the stream of statements that ! tell a kid people don't think i he or she amounts to much-i is something parents and; others can correct quickly, When a young boytryingto i make a blrdhouse fouls up ! a piece of expensive wood, Dad doesn't need to call him i a "knothead." The kid knows he's goofed. The father who ' smiles, and remembers the time he did something simi-. lar can make one little boy a lot less desperate. The mother who watches with dismay at her daughter's daugh-ter's weight increase doesn't ;: have to call her "chubby." Challenging daughter to a : dieting competition might do a lot more to solve things. Kids have a better chance at success when they are not desperate. Thoreau wrote that all men live their lives in quiet desperation. The same can be said for kids. Johnny didn't understand a concept taught in his math class today, and he's frightened fright-ened that he'll get hopelessly hope-lessly behind in the class. Sue has two warts on her index finger, and she's worried wor-ried that her boyfriend will see them when they go to the school dance. Whether it's acne, the mean kid down the block, getting cut from the football foot-ball team, history tests, hitting hit-ting a clinker during a glae club singfest, or trying out for the school play kids often find themselves frightened. Fright can lead to desperation des-peration and desperation can lead to failure. There's something else that can help a young person per-son to flop. It's relentless criticism and statements that show parents don't have much faith in their children. chil-dren. How many times do parents inform their children chil-dren that they're "knot-heads, "knot-heads, clumsy, stupid, chubby, chub-by, or dumb?" Statements such as those add fuel to the fires of failure. The first problem dealing with fears is a difficulty that is. largely up to the young person to conquer. Robbie must deal with the mean kid down the block. Jane must try hard for that part in the school play. |