Ask Whatever You Wish

Q — My child is nervous by temperament, and some weeks ago he began to blink his eyes a great deal; and every time I called his attention to this habit he practiced it all the more, until I grew anxious and feared that his schoolmates would mock him. What is your advice to me?

A — It is a great mistake to call your child's attention to a bad habit, because in doing so you draw his notice to it. The method the psychologists suggest is to occupy the child with things that please him, and to give him attention and affection; in this way his morale is strengthened and he is drawn away from this habit... Let him go with you to the market, for instance, and buy him something to occupy his hands, and his mind with it; show him your love and your affection, and I assure you that he will give up this habit, or any other, within a single day.

Q — I am a society lady, one of the readers of "The Woman's Voice." We used to have many friends; but since my husband's death two years ago, and the misfortunes that have piled upon me, these friends have scattered — though I am always in need of consulting them about my troubles, and I do not doubt in the least their sincerity and their love for our family. What, then, is the reason?

A — It seems to me that your nature inclines to complaining and grumbling at the injustice of fate. Know, then, that every human being has his own cares and misfortunes, and we may not trouble our friends with the abundance of our complaints and our grumbling, for that wearies them and drives them away. When you see them again, try to take an interest in their troubles, instead of forever wearying their ears with the recital of your own...