The child must be encouraged to unfold. Its thoughts, its ideas, its
method of carrying out its ideas, its instincts and intuitions, in a
word, its genius must be brought forward, never suppressed. If the ideas
are wild, the play rough, the instincts perverse and the child is
unruly, the mother must seek ways to direct them.
How can you judge the workings of that mind and soul? You must study
your little one’s motives, in order to pass a sentence on the act he has
committed. If your boy is noisy, rough, pugnacious, you may lay it to a
surplus of nervous energy that has no proper outlet.
He is ungovernable perhaps, neither you nor his father nor the teacher
at school can manage him. What are you going to do? His father whips
him, but the youth is India rubber—he rebounds. The rod has not reached
his inner consciousness. The teacher keeps him in after school, and on
being freed, he rushes into a fight. You, his mother, are distracted,
for although he seems to listen to you, he pays little heed to your
commands.