Article December 20, 1919 Issue

"Loose him, and let him go"

CONSTANCE L. JOHNSTONE

As a mother who is learning to appreciate her true relationship to her child, I would very much like to relate two little experiences which I had recently, that proved how much help instead of hindrance one can give one's child, when the understanding of the truth about God and the truth about man, and their true relationship to one another is realized and faithfully applied.

The first experience is a very homely little incident, but nevertheless a very helpful one, and proved of much value to me. I had always been in the habit of waking my son—now fifteen years of age—in the mornings to prevent his being late for school, hurrying over his study of the Lesson-Sermon, and eating his breakfast hastily. He had never been late for school, and when his grandfather was praising him for his punctuality one day, the thought suddenly occurred to me that the child was accepting unconsciously praise that he had not really merited, and therefore was holding a wrong belief about himself; in fact, he was holding a dishonest position. This thought unfolded to me that the error really lay in my own attitude. My foolish, mistaken sense of mothering him was really smothering him, robbing him of his growth in self-reliance. Having seen the error, I explained it to my son and told him that in the future I would not wake him; that he must learn to rely on God and himself. I had several battles to fight when he was not heard moving in the morning, and once or twice I succumbed to the old anxiety. Finally one morning this thought came ot me clearly: What does it matter if he is late for school, if he does miss his lesson, if he does hurry over his breakfast? Will it not help him far more, and give him a practical experience, and awaken him to the truth of what I explained to him? The enemy was completely overcome in my consciousness this time; therefore, the child was released.

For one or two mornings the waking of the boy was uncertain and the conditions resulting therefrom were very hurried. The question was then raised rather peevishly, "Why don't you wake me, mother, as you used to do?" The answer was, "We must all learn to rely on God and ourselves, and if we have any fears, then let us pray to God for help." That same evening about eight o'clock my son went out without saying anything to me,—a thing which he never did,—and for a moment I wondered where he was going; but I felt no real concern, knowing that good only reigns. The next day I discovered by the side of his bed the pamphlet, "'Awake thou that sleepest,'" so I knew then he had gone down the night before to the Christian Science reading rooms to purchase it, as there was not one in the house. There has been no trouble since, and he wakes each morning regularly. The great lesson to me was borne home, that by leaving our children to God, we free them from our own hampering thoughts and anxieties, and they then begin to develop and progress. Our children will never learn self-reliance and trustworthiness while the parents try to usurp the place of God.

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