Being reasonable in what we expect of children may entail a hardship for adults. If normal, happy, pig-tailed Judy doesn't master the complicated translation of clusters of letters to their correct words during the month, we feel our whole family tree is tottering in a destructive wind. We often feel that we must explain Judy's difficulty to friends and neighbors; we joke about "the beautiful but dumb member of the family"; we may even say how glad we are to have a "problem" child.
All this is rather certain evidence of the deep humiliation and disappointment we feel because Judy, rollicking, fun-loving Judy, is not such a success in reading. All of us who observe children, teachers, principals, and parents should know that learning to read with ability to recognize and remember more and more words, begins with some children even before kindergarten age, with others at six, seven, and even later. A careful study made in California discloses that children whose beginning in reading was postponed until after the first grade, caught up with, and in some cases even excelled others, who had started earlier. Some children mature more slowly than others. Why worry? Look at us, relaxed adults, who dare scan the formulas pertaining to atomic energy, but who cannot begin to tell what they mean. However, we feel quite adequate in handling our duties in daily life. Let's give children the same right to be themselves!
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