HEALTH NOTES

Hokitika Guardian, 23 May 1931, Page 3

HEALTH NOTES

TRAINING OF .CHILDREN GOOD HABITS.

(Contributed by the ‘ Department of Health). t The nervous system at the begin ring - of life is no'ii-cdeprdinatad and during the following years co ordination is established gradually first, on the motor and sensory sides and later, on the .psychic side. Jt is this latter aspect with which the physician is particularly concerned, and in his recently published hook on the diseases of children, Dr Bruce Williamson, physician to the Royal Northern H capita I ( London, lays stress on the following points in. th i training of the young if functional nervous disorders are to be avoided. The making' of a psychopathic, lie holds, hen Ins in infancy and is completed by the seventh to the tenth year. After this, no matter how wise the guidance and training, it is almost impossible to eradicate completely the mischief caused by parental folly. Much improvement can, however, he effected.

CORRECTION IN BEHAVIOUR. As coon as the child enters the thinking age, wh'ieti may he stated to be the second an ( ] third year,'careful study and direction of his interests and desires are required. The great danger arises- from correction of behaviour, which, to his voting mind, is illogical. Where a tendency is developed that is inimical to his welfare, mere negation of this feature is not sufficient, for it leaves hi s desire unfulfilled. Something must be .substituted, which will distract his attention from the undesirable pursuit, which previously seemed nll-im.nortairt

i ' him. His memory is short and soon it is forgotten. But in the other attitude, that of negation, he sees a ’ once .opposition, and conflict attracts him. He wilfully continues his malpractice and finally re iaqui-shes it under punishment. This may he corporal.. or psychic by deprivation of one of his other strong desires- He soon finds that when the malpractice is -not observed, no punishment' results, This is a great discovery, and lends to great mischief by loss of frankness and open expression of his desires.

INSTILLATION OF FEAR. S-11-prescrval ion is a natural instinct, and as such it must be kept within useful bounds. It may bo said that harm ful exaggeration of this instinct results from errors on the part of the guardian of the child. A child will learn by its.df that heat nav be harmful, and the lesson- is readily learnt and retained for all time. Similarly, accidents of various kinds soon indicate the path for the young man to take if he is to avoid painful experiences. Those are all very useful, but when we turn to fear

of darkness, of being alone, of water and animals, these have been nourish'd by suggestion from the adult wiseacres. Many idle words sink deep into the receptive and undeveloped brain of a ciiild.

discipline. Discipline is the medium through which the common and higher faculties are effectively employed. Discipline instilled by fear of reprisals is toe worst sort to develop, yet it is the most common in everyday life, while discipline stimulated by offer ml rewards is equally bad. The- former develops a timid nature lacking in initiative for fear of harmful retaliaiive results, and the latter a greedy acquisitive nature. The ideal discipline is one built upon example. The copyist trait is. strongly developed in children, and guidance along the correct path is required until tfie mind is sufficiently developed to appreciate the value of right' and wrong. Much of the unruliness in children in sustained by bribery offered as a s ol acs when his desires cannot be obtained.

A time comes when he realises that he is the centre of a small world. When sentiment and kindness are curbed by real interest in his welfare all goes along smoothly. Let the young man realise the anxiety behind the inquiries about his food and sl-eep and he will soon rouse interest in these matters by deliberate negativism. The more he refuses, the greater i s the interest t. iketi in Tijs diet, and soon he realises that th< special food, for which he has great liking, can be obtained by refusing t.hie less tempting. Tims is peace bought at a great expense, and he becomes a difficult child to feed. Refusal to eat can be easily cured by withholding food altogether, until he is hungry—let him be left alone with the dish he previously despised. Parental victory on such occasions is invaluable, and while it may seem a little cruel, the memory of the conflict is lost in the midst of the new interests which he meets daily. WORK AND PL \V. Another point of extreme value is the difference between work and play. To set a task to be followed bv play, ns a reward, is doing incalculable damage. No sharp barrier should he between work and play. Work should have the element of a or a "pine about it, wlii’e ,pl3v should i,o -liolit.lv objective; thus, the "rent distinction- is leh for a later date at which, values ca u be appreciates.

j REGULATIONS OF HABITS. Regulation V)t the daily processes which carry the work forward is essential'; thus renewal of enery should li.e .uuhLl'cl at regular intervals. Food should never be presented at iii egr periods, and only bi 'Oxcepiiona! circumstances may it become a placebo. The digestive apparatus we know call be trained to act to curtain stimuli, and the regularity of the stimuli allows reparative processes to renew .and store energy. Si'-ep -•should be encouraged at regular pc. - iods after food, and lx*tween these it should be discouraged. Micturition and defaccation soon come under voluntary control, and regular habits in these respects cannot be encouraged too early. Functional disturbances in childhood bear no relation to the depth of psychic disturbance required to elicit similar results in adults. Thus, they are extremely common, and the understanding of them wil] go a long way towards preventing their occurrence. INSOMNIA. In the young sleeplessness is a common disorder. It may be caused by too active pursuits before bedtime. A quiet attitude of mind and body is produced by an hour spent in readin «■ a , peaceful fairy tale, before going to bed. The iast meal should be light end he of such nature as not to tax tire digestive powers of the stomach. The bed room should bu well ventilat- j eel ana the be | clothing should provide j warmth without undue .weight.