1936-12-18 — Page 17

It's good for

children to

LEARN to GIVE

things away

G

IVING toys and presents to children is one of the greatest pleasures we have whether we

are mother, father, uncle or aunt.

We don't get very much thanks nowadays for our gifts, neither do we expect them-we just fall victim to the lure of the lovely modern toys and give and give and give.

And the nursery people-now usually in families of ones or twos-how do they react?

They are very thrilled, very critical, and are quite unexpected in their reactions to some of the cheaper gifts. But are they really happy?

How many parents allow their children to- day the extraordinary happiness of preparing and giving gifts to other people?

Building up Character

And how many parents realise that the finest way to build character is to encourage giving. and the keenest test you will get of character is the ability or not to give.

The strong, confident, well-balanced child is the giver. The weak, unhappy, undeveloped child is the falter. Only those who are sure of themselves and have surphis vitality dare give in this life. But it is the surest test that all is well in the child's mind.

The aggressive, noisy child who grabs and fights

Is not the strong child-it is unhappy and uncertain and unable to give anything at all away,

The habit of giving can be‘gently nurtured from

Gardeners' Plot

in the event of colder weather look through the potatoes In store, and, if they are close to a wall, move them away from it and place a good layer of straw, shavings or newspaper between them and the wall.

Throw away any decayed potatoes and break; off the shoots of any which may be sprouting.

Finally, give them a good covering of straw or other material.

G. H. B. D.

The strong. confident, well- balanced, child

is the Biver

the cradle, and every parent should try to balance pocket money in buying materials for having thoroughly acquainted herself what the child receives in presents and what it gives home-made gifts.

of its own free will to those it loves.

Money need not enter into it at all. Many small children regard money as valuable collections of coins, Home-made Presents and loathe to part with It. Never force them to port with It. Instead, show them gifts to make with their own hands.

with her dressing table equipment.

Thought and

Planning

Many grown-ups do not realise how

There are so many things they can Whenever you visit friends and are taking small make. Leather gifts, painted wooden gifts, such as flowers, fruil, or chocolates, let the children take their little gift as well. Make the giving gifts, needlework gifts. And let the of tiny, inexpensive gifts a occurrence in the nursery. It will foster a feeling of

continual pleasant tiny ones make home-made pictures, selfish they are in their excess giving security and well-being in the young mind.

or book-markers anything and to small children. You can be too The man who can give away his last sixpence to everything that will be an outlet for overpowering with your adult money a friend in need is not a rash tool-but a man who is their artistic ability and love of and gifts--you con rub in your certain that he can soon earn another. The man who hangs on to his last sixpence of himself.

Gifts should be Surprises

the man atrald creative effort.

superiority too much, so that you One child's first gift was a bag of frighten your children into being home-picked lavender. In a coarsely- ashamed of giving their small in- Keep all nursery gilta as surprises. Let father made cotton bag and tied with colour- expensive gifts. plan gifts for mother and mother gifts for father-ed string. It was tucked under her and please let it be something the children have made mother's pillow with a long label on themselves, packed themselves, and pencilled their

own wishes on. The joy of their giving is then a it and was an enormous surprise on thing to be marvelled at and it will far outshine their her birthday morning. Joy in receiving.

As children get older they should be encouraged

Show them early that the thought and planning behind presents are the Important things. That you bought them a certain gift because you had

to look round and see what people like and what they a half and was her own idea, as she cause you had money to spend and need-particularly in their own homes. By the age

It came from a child of three and noticed that they needed it--not be

of seven they will be ready to spend a little of their knew her mother liked nice smell liked spending it on them.

Jane Oliver

Oliver and Ann Stafford on...

Entertaining Angels

drawings

by

ANN STAFFORD

"GUESTS who arrive

at three o'clock listening with brilliantine, and grave

as angels

Talkies may still be beyond the scope of On the other hand, the hostess need not be the moderate purse, but many firms will begin swapping their presents. Mothers will disheartened if all her guests immediately undertake to send an operator, with a large confirm that there is nothing the small boy choice of silent films, quite cheaply,

will not swop if it is detachable.

Above all, there is no need for the nervous Others Allow the mechanically-minded to parent to dread the round of Christmas parties hire, at a still lower rate, a projector and because of the fights which seem to blow up

over nothing. films, which they will show themselves.

One thing to remember in this 'care is that

Keeping the Peace

it is surprisingly easy for amateur operators, trying out films before the party begins, to become so absorbed that they are roused only of the small boy tends to run so much to It is certainly a pity that the cheerfulness by the sound of the door-bell announcing the black eyes. But it is not Inevitable that the first guesta. Remember, too, that film pro- caps in their hands and their slippers in cm- guests who arrive at three o'clock with their

broidered bags, glistening with brillantine. and grave os angels, will be punching each other in demoniacal henps by tea-time.

THERE," said James's mother, "that's the up the gramophone, or depress an electric jectors can be bought cheaply.

last of the invitations.

light switch.

But what in the world shall we do if all So when they go out to a party they like something surprising to be produced for them, these children come?".

So she, like other anxious-minded mothers, even if it is only a rabbit out of a hat or a asked her friends' advice during the week that voice from a velvet doll. followed.

Zest of Competition

Keep them all busy at sainething or other from the moment of arrival t that other blessed moment when the last thanks have Parties, at this time of the year, Invariably the doorstep, and it should be quite possible beert mumbled under parental compulsion on call for presents. An interesting variant of to give a successful party and yet keep the But the conjuring must be expert. The the Christmas tree is the Treasure Hunt, which peace.

the extra advantage of making the. Some people assured her that they would all modern child is an exacting critic, and un-has be perfectly happy, bless their hearts, if they likely to have any mercy on a father who has children work for their gifts.

dozen were just left alone; some maintained that the mugged up half a

old games were the best after all; whilo 'others tricks out of a book of words said unhappily that the modern child was so and lost the disappearing sophisticated that they'd rather give holt a card in the middle. dozen grown-up parties.

Large Ideas

If he is skilled he is lucky.

If he is not, he should save himself trouble (and his children considerable ogony) by enlisting the services of Children themselves are apt to have rather the entertainment depart-- largo ideas. After a conjurer at the Smiths', ment of one of the great a ventriloquist at the Robertson's, and tumbl- shops, nearly all of which ing clowns at Brown Major's, the thought of provide side-shows for festi- three hours of hunt-the-slipper and postman's vities. knock leaves them cold.

One of the best is the film

It is not their fault; for children forced into party. Granted, of course, the gambols of another generation are sau that come grand and horrid comfortable as those squeezed Into 'shoes made little boy (or girl) is almost for differently shaped feet,

certain to be heard piercing-

JoWo mny on well face the fact that modern ly telling the world in 'an :

"HAS been

to g

- life matures our children very early. At home interval of silenco that: he⠀⠀⠀ far better

they acquire a taste for the miraculous as for she) has been to a far soon as they can turn on the wireless, wind botter, show fast "weck."

how last week!

If can be arranged as a much simplified and indoor form of the grown-up ver-· slon, though organisers should remember that some of the guests (under the in- fluence of haste and excite- ment, at least) may be un- able to read anything but the largest printing. --

"It is also a wise precaution 10 prepare conspicuous notices, bearing the now familiar NO ENTRY legend. These will keep the hunters" from ransacking, for in- stande, every drawer in an elderly visitor's bedroom.

And i

the use of differently. coloured wrapping paper for boys and girls treasure will prevent a boy from be-` ing disgusted by a doll's trousseau.

"THE father who

has mupped up half-a-dozan tricks and lost the d frappearing card in · the At middle."

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, Friday, DecemEUR 18, 1986.

Only a few more days left for your Christmas shopping WHY NOT SHOP AT GRAY'S

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