| Show home education the childs first school is the family frobel issued by the national kindergarten association 8 west street new york city these articles are appearing weekly in our colu columns AFRAID OF THE DARK AUDREY C HAYDEN As far back as I 1 can remember I 1 never was abaid a raid of this dar darak c when I 1 becan t a mother I 1 believed that there was no reason why any child rhoid be afraid anal that if fear were never su suggested in connection with darkness it occur to the hie child to be afraid Dark i s a natural phenomenon I 1 ica and one of which babies are not afraid applying this theory all went well with my own little girl until some thin thing happened rither either soi someone neone complimented my iny three year old on her bravery shown in going goin up to bed bd alone or cr somi someone one yell well no matter I 1 don t know how it happened this I 1 do know jane beg began a n to say she he was art afraid aid of f the dark that frogs would get her she would evon evell refuse to go to the bathroom alons with only tile the liall light aghta burning now I 1 really believe that m nast st cases of fears fear or cf the dark on the part of children have no deep rooted reason when there is such a i vason reason if it can be found of course very careful 1 consideration should be given to reconditioning but most children A fear the daik because they have somehow imbibed the idea that it is rather expected of them that if I 1 they arc 11 e not afraid they nie aie very brave but if they are arc afraid it is no nothing thing to be wondered cred at the child il having laving acquired aar there aie two I 1 popular methods lods for it one is to attempt to get back to the I 1 original cause and explain that away the second to overcome it by besetting settin setting lull up artificial bravery I 1 tried to reason with jane and showed honed her pictures or of frogs to let I 1 her ier see how small they are arc and al made a lot of brave talk a bolt 4 a great biz big girl like you but wy mv efforts had no effect jane just criel cried land and clung to my dress and pulled 1 me ille along with her to bed or the bathroom she brave and going to be talked into it I 1 it seemed best to accede quietly I 1 I 1 took her to the bathroom and to hod bed f for t and 0 or three weeks andl and J did it as a matter of course I 1 made it a point also to walk fron froni ll 11 room oril to room without a light as soon as she was in bed after going downstairs I 1 would come lip on an i imaginary mag inary orran erran rand d an and d walk about again in the darkness on several occasions a ai j little before bedtime wo we ccok walks together tog ether and sometimes we went down callar in the daik but always I 1 without any mention of its being i daik when she spoke of frogs I 1 said yes I 1 could seel them too that it was fun to be able to imagine ai libigs digs it and the best beat part wasl was that since they real you could step imagining them whenever you wanted to once we got down and hopped around the room playing we were frogs ourselves I 1 got some polli bogs for the fish L bowl vl and I 1 bought a celluloid frog but we were very matter of fact about it and frogs and A i darkness dar linEts and fear were novel con necked in our conversation then the one lay day I 1 felt cry ill and spent the day lying on the couch when night come came and jane wanted to ko to the bathroom I 1 called her ivr I 1 and saaid now jane mother is sick I 1 so you will have to go alone and she said yes it will be dark in do you understand and I 1 cannot conle come in ili if ou call me to turn on I 1 the light I 1 explained she thought a minute and then said all right I 1 when bed tirre came I 1 undressed her anil alid sarit her up lip to bed alone and then casually sent another member of the family up ill on oil an errand janei jane had the idea though that I 1 was vms rending seiuli her alone to bed and that the company and the light were merely incidental the next night I 1 went to tc the bathroom ostensibly to get sonic some listerine biking it appear accidental that I 1 went when jane was wa there then I 1 sent pent her a to to bd alone casally cuu cau aly ally the next night ni lit I 1 sent pent her to 10 the bathroom and to bed in the lark dark with i out coir ment and it has been si degil 1 lar it occurrence e cier or since did awe we ret ct it at the root of the trouble aard to say since I 1 never found cut the beginning of the fear but we made the daak daik into it a very 0 ordinary rc ii ry matter of fact condition i |
