Precocious Children

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 4, 1907

Precocious Children

As a rule mothers are pleased when their children show unusual brightness; such children attract the admiration of friends and relatives, and minister to the mothers’ vanity. It is conceded by physicians that precocity in children is to be regretted rather than encouraged.

During the first seven years of a child’s life the brain is imperfect in form and substance, and any strain put upon it then is at the expense of future development and health. The brain of a precocious child naturally tends to excessive activity, and, instead of encouraging it, such a child should be kept from school and books, from talk above its years, and developed quietly and slowly along the simplest lines, devoting much time to childish outdoor sports. The aim should be to build up a strong material organization, and give the brain a chance to develop normally, so that it will be prepared for the solid work of life. This can be done only by keeping the brain in as quiescent a state as possible, thus preventing an oversupply of blood to the brain. The tendency of the precocious child is to fall below the average in adult life; few such children rise above it.—The Circle.