Isn't it strange, when you stop to think of it; that we struggle to eradicate in our children the very characteristics which we most admire in an adult? The "willful, sassy, stubborn" child is a thorn in his parents' flesh, but all the great men of all time are "willful, sassy. stubborn men," though we dignify the words somewhat and say they are "strong-minded, quick-witted, and persevering."
I'm afraid, if the whole truth were told, we sometimes try to weed out, not vices, but inconveniences, when we train the children. It requires So much of our precious time and thought to plan the training of a child who has individuality.. The decorous child is so much less of a problem-while he is small. He sits quietly when told to do so; he remains clean after being cleaned up: he is amenable and tractable in all ways; he gets on nobody's nerves. But when he is grown he is without ambition or initiative, and, to say the least, he is in very dull company when he is alone. But the normal child, by his very nature, is nerve racking to an adult. He wants noise when the adult wants quiet; he wants play when the adult must work. It is an adroit and ingenious parent who can live amicably with his offspring.
Must Meet Ideas With Ideas
A parent must learn to replace an Inconvenient game or interest with a. convenient one; he must "meet an idea with an idea," warring with and so, without openly childish wants, lead the child, unconsciously, to be a social being.
Look at Foste, Baah, Tita. Wilson, Roosevelt--all sassy, stubborn' men, who never yield an inch while they the right. feel they are in I wonder if they were "irreconcilable" when they were children; I wonder if they were perfectly obnoxious to live with? If you notice every such great man has gentler charms along with his strength of character; every one has a following of loyal and loving friends. Some way, I believe they attained greatness because their parents were wise enough not to stress the "willful, sassy, stubborn" traits in childhood, as though It were a war to the death between man and child. I believe those parents have quietly cultivated the more affable graces, and let those strong and violent traits "lie fallow."