Treatment for mental Illness

Toilet training

 The handling of toilet training can be an important determinant of personality. During World War II, Navy doctors were so impressed by the relaxed behavior of Okinawan civilians under bombardment that they studied the personality backgrounds of these people. The significant factor seemed to be that the Okinawan child was per- mitted to set his own pace for toilet training. Children vary in the development of brain areas and nerve pathways involved in the complex reflexes required for urination and bladder control. Our advice is to consult your child's doctor; he knows at what pace the child is developing and can make a good estimate of the date when toilet training should be started.

Talking

 There is big variation in the time when children begin to talk. Don't worry because a neighbor's or relative's child may talk at a very early age, earlier than your own child. But if you are getting nervous about your child's timetable, discuss this with your doctor.

“Abnormal" curiosity

 A child is curious about everything. That includes genitals, feces, urine as well as more acceptable objects in the unfolding world around him. Let him explore. Don't shame him. If he gets too messy, distract him gently.

Social experiences

 Introduce your child to other children gradually. Do it at play places, at home, in playgrounds. This is especially important for an only child.

Nursery school

 One of us wrote some years ago that if he had to make a choice because of limited tuition funds between nursery school and college for a child, he would choose nursery school. He was thinking of a really good nursery school with trained, sympathetic teachers who supplement the efforts of parents in the important years between age 3 and 6.

Identification with parents

 Many psychiatrists believe that in the 3- to 6-year age period, a struggle goes on in the inner, unconscious minds of children and that it has important bearings on later emotional health. At this time, the boy struggles unconsciously to supplant his father in his mother's affections, and gradually to identify with the father; the girl undergoes a similar reverse situation. This "oedipal conflict" may help determine how a boy or girl will feel later in life about the male or female role. During this important period, parents should not make favorites of children, should be careful not to appear to be seductive, should exclude the child from the marital bed, and should exercise care that the child has no opportunity to view their sexual activities.

It is best neither to take baths together nor to share the bathroom with children at this age.

Vacations

Separation from home during vacations can be a positive or negative influence depending upon the child's readiness for the experience. Overnight camp is a big dislocation for a young child and should be undertaken with caution. And remember that a vacation with grand- parents may seem natural to you but a child may view them as strangers.

Movies and TV

Parents should guard against making babysitters out of TV programs or movies. No one really knows how much influence these media are having on the emotional development of our children. But it surely seems sensible for parents to select programs carefully for the very young child.

Birth of a new baby

 A child may fear displacement when a new baby arrives. It is a challenge to parents to make the child feel even more loved and to give him a sense of participation in the care of the new arrival. Parents should consider nursery school or other activities for the child long before the baby is born to challenge his place.