times]

Some of those pastimes are dangerous, but they are sure to be indulged
in at some time or other, with or without permission. There never grew
a child to sturdy manhood who was successfully kept away from water.
The wise mother, then, will not forbid this play, but will do her
best to regulate it, to make it safe. She will think out plans for
permitting children to go swimming in a safe place with some older
person. She will let them go wading, and at holiday time will take
them boat-riding. If she permits as much activity in these respects
as possible, her refusal when it does come will be respected; and
the child will not, unless perhaps in the first bitterness of
disappointment, think her unfriendly and fussy. Above all, he is not
likely to try to deceive her, to run off and take a swim on the sly,
and thus fall into true danger.

[Sidenote: Precaution with Fire]

(4) _Fire_ is another inevitable plaything. Miss Shinn reports that
the first act of her little niece that showed the dawn of voluntary
control of the muscles was the clinging of her eyes to the flame of
a candle, at the end of the second week. The sense of light and
the pleasure derived from it is of the chief incentives to a baby's
intellectual development. But since fire is dangerous the child must
be taught this fact as quickly and painlessly as possible. He will
probably have to be burned once before he really understands it,
but by watching you can make this pain very small and slight,
barely sufficient to give the child a wholesome fear of playing with
unguarded fire. For instance, show that the lamp globe is hot. It is
not hot enough to injure him, but quite hot enough to be unpleasant to
his sensitive nerves. Put your own hand on the lamp and draw it away
with a sharp cry, saying warningly, "Hot, hot!" Do not put his hand
on the lamp, but let him put it there himself and then be very
sympathetic over the result. Usually one such lesson is sufficient.
Only do not permit yourself to call everything hot which you do not
want him to touch. He will soon discover that you are untruthful and
will never again trust you so fully.

[Sidenote: Bonfires]

Under _proper regulations_, however, fire may be played with safely.
Bonfires with some older person in attendance are safe enough and
prevent unlawful bonfires in dangerous places. The rule should be that
none of the children may play with fire except with permission; and
then that permission s