PROBLEM CHILD

New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 390, 13 December 1946, Page 5

PROBLEM CHILD

Sir,-It is interesting to parents to hear what is being done for these extreme cases of neglect. But I don’t think Mr. Nixon quite understands the difficulties we all have to face in bringing up our children, He should try looking after children from their infancy and adding to that all the washing, cooking, nursing, doctoring, and housekeeping that is the ordinary life of a mother. To take and give affection is an ordinary human necessity. When we are overtaxed we are "sub" and can get "ratty"-more so if the children are our own and we can’t do our best for them. Children need robust people about them. Girls can go further on affection alone, but boys have a greater need for some expression of virility. With our wars and slumps and ordinary householders’ troubles, they grow restive at seeing their elders mere pawns in life. They are rightly critical of their elders and ambitious for the best in life. Perhaps some can forget their future and live purely in their hobbies and games, but We shall never get all-round development ip our children till we can give

them an example of a balanced, co- | operative human society where they can see a-picture of the life they want to lead in the lives sot the adults about them. I haven’t a friend who is looking after young children who is not in need of a holiday. But they don’t squeal because they know that if they drop out the whole family will be the worse for it.

K.

M.

(Havelock North).