If you were where you could observe you would see the child stop her play at the mention of her name, listening intently, and thinking about what has been said. Most likely she would find her kitty and come back loving it and demonstrating the result of mother's suggestion.
This indirect method of sowing seed-thoughts is most effective, and will correct errors and form right habits and character, much more rapidly than correction, argument, or punishment. The possibilities of the use of suggestions in child training are limitless. There are many cases where miraculous results have been secured by intelligent, devoted mothers.
In the matter of health and overcoming of detrimental habits there is no greater power than that of positive Suggestion intelligently used. Every up-to-date and thoroughly progressive physician realizes the power of the positive thought over the human body. During the epidemic of Influenza which swept through the Army Camps where the boys were being trained for overseas service, all the available ministers were called into a large hospital to minister to the sick and dying. Before being allowed to go among the sick soldiers they were gathered together and given a talk by one of the head surgeons. One of the instructions was this: In all talking with the sick there must not, under any circumstances, be any mention or reference to death, the possibility of death, or of any condition after death. Every thought and word must be of health, recovery and what they are going to do after recovery. This must be followed in conversation, letter writing for the sick, and in prayer with them. This is an example of the modern acceptance of the value of positive suggestion in cases of sickness.
In matters of Child Training it is of the utmost value. Dr. Stanley Krebbs, in his book, "The Law of Suggestion," which every parent should read, tells many interesting examples of its use. "A little girl had formed the habit of telling lies in order to attract attention. When this fact was learned it was made the key of her recovery. It was lodged in her mind that her lies caused people to avoid her, to dislike her; but that if she were truthful she would make people like her, would make friends and attract a great deal more attention than in any other way. Simple! but successful."
Quoting again from Dr. Krebbs, "Take an extreme case, Belford Russell Lawrence, the boy criminal, testified at twelve years of age, that among other things, his mother had often said to neighbors, referring to him: 'That devil will hang yet.'
"As a general rule children are what their elders expect them to be.
"As a general rule we adults are what our fellows expect us to be."
The story is told of a boy who was no student and hated school, he even disliked to read. One time when there were guests at dinner there arose a discussion of a certain point of history. The boy had just studied this fact in school and was able to set the entire group right. On several occasions later his mother repeated this fact to friends, in the boy's hearing, always ending with the statement: "You know Johnny is quite a historian." Up to that time he had had no interest in the study, but believing that others considered him an authority on the subject he got busy and studied up on it. He afterward became a historian and a professor in one of the large universities. He just had to make good, to keep up with his mother's expectation, and he did.
Take every opportunity to tell others about the good points of your children and the characteristics that you want them to have. Do this when the children can hear you. Tell it to others and the child will not disappoint you.
The subject should be studied by every parent. There is no attempt made to cover it in these pages, but merely to give a hint of its possibilities in the hope that the parent will learn to use this power constructively and wisely.