TOO FOND MOTHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 193, 18 September 1909, Page 3

TOO FOND MOTHERS.

j Self-reliance is to-day recognised as . one of the greatest assets of any young man or young woman. It gives them the confidence to do things, to get there, to overcome obstacles in their way! while another may he whining about hard lucL And yet there are many mothers today who kill that self-reliance in their children. They allow their affection to persuade them into doing things for the youngsters which the latter should lear n to do themselves at the earliest possible age. To quote an everyday remark, "they wait On them hand and foot," the consequence being more often than not that the youngsters grow up selfish and inconsiderate. ! iThe greatest injury a mother can do to he r son—or daughter cither, for the matter of that—is to allow her affection lor them to overrule her commonsense. She must not commit the crrjr of tolerating their bad habits because she is so fond of them. With the hoy | these m ust be eradicated while the child is young and puny, at the same time teaching him his proper position; otherwise he will learn to respect no one and probably turn round in later years and blame his mother for her lax methods in bringing iim up. There is also a certain type of mother who seems to think her daughter is always a child. Poor, crushed creatures these young women are. They are not allowed to choose their friends. The mother sees to that, and the consequence is that the girls are probably made to consort with companions with whom they have no taste in common. Such girls are taught to regard all members of the opposite sex with suspicion, the consequence is that as the years m by they find themselves being left <>n the shell on account of the fact that prospective husbands have been frUStencd away. ° It is not suggested for a moment that there should not be any safeguard tout there is a great deal of difference between safeguarding a daughter in a proper manner and absolutely reiusn* her pleasures of her own choosing To ' deny a girl the right to select a friend or mix' with members of the opposite sex, for instance, i» extremely foolish How ca n any girl develop mentally if heiself? The individual bent of mind is stunted, and one can only expect the