Evening star. [volume], October 22, 1939, Page 8, Image 98

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Monet Is Important to Children
by Douglas 1. Thom, M.D.
Director of tho Habit Clinic for Child Guidance, Boston, Mass.
To teach a child to use money wisely
and kindly is a major problem for
parents. What Dr. Thom has to say
about this is very appropriate right now,
when Better Parenthood Week is being
observed from October 23 to October 29.
His advice is also sensible and practical.
— The Editor
Somewhere between the years of
six and seven, a child who lives
in what we may call an average
home becomes interested in money.
He realizes that it can contribute to
his happiness. This is the moment to
begin training your child how to
handle money wisely, and at the same
time how to use it for distributing hap
piness and helping out the other fel
low. There are four fundamental things
children need to learn: what the value
of money is and how it is acquired;
the art of spending; the satisfaction of
giving; the wisdom of saving.
First experiences with money are
not always helpful. Children who do
not have to run errands, for a loaf of
bread or a bottle of milk, are apt not
to appreciate money. Often they think
of it as something to be tucked away
in a bank — for that is what happens
to any money they get.
Other children, on the other hand,
get the impression very early that
money is absolutely essential to hap
piness. They build up acquaintances
and try to cement friendships by buy
ing candy or ice cream or marbles to
hand out. And they are apt to think
that acquiring nickels and dimes is
life’s most important job.
It is not just rich children who get
this idea. For example, six-year-old
Pat of my acquaintance lives in a tene
ment district and spends most of his
time on the streets. His family and
older friends hand out many nickels
and dimes, and he is not above beg
ging, besides. Offer him pennies and he
would say; “They ain’t no good; you
can’t buy nawthing any good with
cents.” What will Pat demand by the
time he is twelve? And what means
will he use to get it? His parents have
already encouraged him unwittingly
in the direction of crime.
Bribing a child is also bad. Tommy
has been paid for doing his chores,
going to bed early, keeping clean, and
almost everything else. So at nine he
demands money in return for every
contribution he makes to family life.
He never shares his money with his
brother or sister, never uses a nickel of
it in the collection plate at Sunday
school. Tommy’s training has twisted
and distorted his mind so that money
is the biggest measure of happiness he
knows.
Very different, but equally disas
trous, is the effect on a child of living
in a niggardly family. There are fam
ilies where economizing seems to be
the chief topic of conversation. Which
stores give the best bargains? What’s
the cheapest way to get through a
vacation? How can we afford to have
those friends come to dinner? I’ve
known the eternal thought of trying to
get by with spending less to make a
child very sick. At ten Mary became
so nervous and anxious that she re
fused to wear new clothes, cut down
on her food, worried for fear her
father would lose his job — and finally
had to be taken away from home for a
long time and have psychiatric care.
But it is possible to give a child a
right attitude toward money. On an
errand to the store, a child sees a cart
or a doll she wants. She asks the price
and soon learns painlessly that she
cannot have everything she happens
to want. This is a good opportunity
for a wise parent to help that child
plan to save for the toy, and at the
same time to learn a first lesson in
postponing less important things for
more important ones.
Some such occasion is a good time
to consider the question of an allow
ance. The actual amount of the allow
ance is usually determined by the
custom of the community where you
live. Pennies for candy, nickels for
crackers and milk, collection money
for Sunday school are important to
children. And when you begin giving
them a regular sum «»arh week, they
get their first experience in trying to
balance their innumerable desires with
their available cash. At first they
squander their allowance. Let them.
It is harmless. They will soon find out
that they can’t buy elastic bands for
their pea-shooters if they’ve spent all
their allowance for candy.
At this point children should also
be encouraged to save some of what
they get as an allowance, or earn, or
are given as presents. They should
have banks as soon as they have
allowances. It is surprising how quickly
children acquire a real satisfaction in
their bank accounts.
The important aspect of the whole_
money problem with children is for
their parents to have a well-thought
out plan and to stick to it. Don’t leave
to chance your child's attitude toward
money.
IM Aixxandmr Nkktlt
Spending-money teaches her to balance desires with available cash
Pumpkins mean Halloween or pie to
us, but they meant much more in
colonial days, when they were used to
a far greater extent in cookery than
they are today. Of course there was
pumpkin pie and there was also a
“pumpkin bread" that was made of
mashed pumpkin, corn and rye meal.
Housewives frequently made a “pump
kin sauce" for certain dishes, and
“pumpkin beer” was a beverage that
owed much of its popularity to its low
cost of making.
* * *
Cider, another Halloween specialty,
was the commonest of all beverages
during the days of our country's in
fancy. It was exceedingly cheap, cost
ing only about three shillings a barrel,
and was served at practically all
meals. Children were frequently*
served a dish of cider and broken-up
bread for breakfast or supper. It was
considered healthful for tots and was
also an important ingredient in many
homemade medicines.
Cider was made in great quantities.
In 1721 one community of forty fami
lies produced 3,000 barrels.
However, in the early nineteenth
century the new temperance reform
gamed great momentum and cider
lost its rating as the standard house
hold beverage. The fanaticism of some,
of the reformers led to the entire
destruction of many beautiful and
flourishing apple orchards.
— A, R. Armstrong
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WAY TO A HAPPY COM PIEXfON/
Doctor told me gentle IVORY is just right
for babies—and for big girls like you!*
It’s just that Doctor’s kinda fussy about
what we put on our complexions.
He says: “The first step to a lovely skin
is daily care with a mild pure soap that
cleanses gently, without irritation.” . . .
And that’s exactly what Ivory Soap is—
and does! Ivory is kind to your complex
ion. It’s a pure soap—without any “extras”
like color or strong perfume. That’s the
big reason why so many, many doctors ad
vise Ivory for even a baby’s sensitive skin.
Countless lovely ladies have been Ivory
fans since they were babies. So we just
can’t help suggesting that you, too, try
morning and evening beauty cleansings
with gentle Ivory Soap. Ivory costs so
very little—yet it has been awarded this
highest honor, “Doctor approves.”
Recently a leading medical journal wrote 20,000
doctor* making them which soaps they advised. For
both babiea’ and grown-up skins more doctors re
plied "Ivory" than any other soap.
- Inxj xyaSb^o -o^culty tJUdXUjuJ^r f^oz tjOu/L /dkjju*~,~toQ « .
IVORY SOAP99**-*^
TAADCMAAK Ate. O. •. AAT. orr.» r»OCTCA * 6AM AlC
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