Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 131, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 June 1919 — EASY TO CURE “NAUGHTINESS” [ARTICLE]

EASY TO CURE “NAUGHTINESS”

Common-Sense Methods of Dealing With Children Will Always Be Found Effective. A morbid exaggeration and perversion of the natural desire which all children feel for notice by their elders, is held by Thomson to be the cause of abnormal naughtiness in children. These cases are of essentially the same nature as those of “moral imbecility" in children who are in some degree mentally defective. The proper lines of treatment are clear enough, and when carried out consistently and thoroughly are rapidly and completely successful. They may be summarized as follows: (1) AU severe cbrporal punishment must be stopped —it never does any good. (2) Nobody must ever appear shocked, amused or even surprised at anything a child does. (3) His misdeeds are never to be alluded to, much less described, in his presence; and, lastly, he should be noticed and encouraged in every way when he is good and altogether ignored when he is naughty. British Journal of ChUdren’s Diseases.