Cover was drawn by said child. |
The Emotionally
Disturbed Child – Then and Now, by J. Louise Despert, MD, who also wrote
Children of Divorce (or so the cover says), was a 329 page look into the
emotional development of children. Written in 1965, it presents a look at how
child development was thought of back then. While the studies and scenarios may
not be up to date, it is still an interesting read for the historical context
and the nuggets of advice hidden within; the biggest of which being that one
should definitely not follow advice on child-rearing from a 1960’s book.
What Price Time? |
Split into five sections, the book opened with a story about
a domineering mother who takes over the lives of not just her own family, but also
the household of the man she is housekeeping for. This case study in a
domineering mother controlling the dysfunctional lives of her family could not
have come at a better time as this week was also the premiere of the long
awaited fourth season of Arrested
Development on Netflix. Next to the Bluths, this family wasn’t all that bad
but the lesson learned was not to be an overbearing mother/wife or your child
will grow up with issues.
Not that far off. |
The second part was actually entertaining as it told the
history of children and child abuse in society across various time periods. In
Ancient Greece, Spartans inspect their newborns and threw out the ones that
looked weak. This messed them up. In the Medieval ages, children were forced to
marry young. That messed them up too. During the Renaissance, children were
sacrificed by witches as offerings. That also messed them up. In 18th
century France, children were sold into lives of servitude. There was much
messing up around that period as well. The soundtrack to this section would be ‘A
Hardknock Life’ looped indefinitely.
Part three dealt with what an emotionally healthy child
would be like. Simply put, it is one who is comfortable with themselves, their
family, and their surroundings. This section broke down the various stages of a
child’s early life along with tips to rear them properly so that they
presumably do not rob your neighbours in ten years. The forty odd pages in this
part could be summed up simply as pay attention to the child.
Part four described what makes up an emotionally disturbed
child. It is pretty much anxiety. Don’t let the child become overtly anxious
about anything, but also don’t let his life be completely free of anxiety. The
hundred pages in this section looking into how emotionally disturbed child is
created could be summed by a quote from Garland Greene: “Mother held him too
much or not enough”.
Also, avoid leaving your child with people like Garland Greene. |
The last section was titled ‘Reflections on the Family’. Introspection on the modern family and the roles the members
play. Specifically concentrating on the mother, it details the dangers of
becoming a modern career woman. While it is universally acknowledged that
infants should be with their mothers, the picture painted by the book indicates
that if a woman were to have a career they would not be able to emotionally
support their child and will miss out on all the big moments of their lives so
they should learn to embrace the joys and creativity afforded by being a
homemaker. Apparently baking one’s own bread is rewarding beyond belief.
Taken with a grain of salt, The Emotionally Disturbed Child – Then and Now is not a completely useless
book. It does provide some useful tips on child rearing that has transcended
the time period in which it was first printed. While not wholeheartedly recommended,
the advice contained may indeed help some with raising and keeping their children
in line. If that fails, 329 pages has enough heft for a spanking that’ll learn
them right.
Book rating: 5/10
(Not even Annie could save this)
Random quote: “At
the age of five she was placed in a private school kindergarten. But after a
week, she was rejected, because her intelligence was evaluated as that of a
moron.” (1960’s doctor assessments were harsh!)
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