Every parent should make it a duty to hang in this gallery beautiful pictures of all the ideals which they wish to see fulfilled by their child. Besides the ideals of growth, character, purity, etc., there should be such pictures as a home; a life of useful service; financial independence, and a happy old age. The details are a matter of individual choice and should be filled in as the years pass by the growing understanding and ambition of the child.
THE POWER OF SUGGESTION
Everything that the child experiences exerts an influence upon his future. It suggests a tendency to thought or action. Once the thought or act is indulged in, it has started the formation of habit. One act will not create a habit, but one act will tend to induce the child to act again in the same manner rather than go contrary to it or to vary the method. Repeated action forms a habit, for habit is defined as a tendency of the mind to do again what it has done before.
Habits, of course, vary in their strength, but you must realize the importance of the fact that the first repetitions are the important factors, because they are the habit's beginning. If the child's tendency is wrong do not delay changing it. Tomorrow may be too late. There is no certain age at which child training should begin. It is never too soon. The earlier you begin the easier it will be, and the more pleasure and satisfaction you will derive from your children.
The story is told of an anxious parent who went with a six-year child to the Bishop. The mother told at great length of the difficulty she was having with the child and asked what the proper age was to begin training him. The Bishop's reply was: "My dear woman, you are six years late."
Parents who procrastinate or delay correcting wrong tendencies and instilling right ones because "the child is too young to know better," or "it's too soon to train him yet," will awaken to find that they have formed a wrong habit and that the child will soon be trying to train and rule them.
There is no method of child training as helpful as that of Suggestion. Inducing the child by directly spoken words to think and believe that he is, and that he does, what you wish him to be and to do. This is known as Direct Suggestion. This is the most difficult form to use, as it may arouse antagonism, in which case no favorable result will be secured. It is better to postpone the use of Direct Suggestion until some time when you can sit down quietly and talk to the child, holding him in your lap and first preparing his mind by story or quiet talk of positive and constructive nature. Then make the Direct Suggestion in a clear, definite statement. Do not stop to argue or to impress the suggestion by moralizing. Prepare the soil of the child's mind, plant the seed (the Direct Suggestion), cover it over and leave it to germinate there. You do this by once clearly stating the ideal and then passing on to some other talk or story. Do not allow the child to argue the statement of the Suggestion. This is fatal to its germination. Have him in a passive mood in which he is listening to all that you say, and after you have given the Direct Suggestion and planted the seed, pass on to something else before he starts a train of contrary thoughts in his mind.
If he resists and denies your statement before you can lead his mind on, the soil was not properly prepared. Do not be discouraged, try again. Never be discouraged or give up, if you expect to gain results by the use of Suggestion.