Chapter 2: Childish Nature

The chapter begins with a story of a mother struggling with her toddler to sit still during church.  The child is fussy and making angry noises as his mother tries to get him to sit still so he won't disturb others.  Pearl asks, "What is the driving force in this child, and how can it be conquered?"  Humans begin life in innocent self-centeredness, but it is the foundation of sin so it must be dealt with.  It's hard to believe those cute little bundles of joy can learn to manipulate their surroundings to get what they want, but they sure figure it out quickly!  I remember when I was pregnant with my first baby and I read all of the books that woman read while pregnant.  And 99% of them tell woman that when their baby cries they should pick it up immediately because otherwise it won't bond with you.  This didn't seem right to me, so I was thankful when I discovered the book, "My First 300 Babies," by Gladys West Hendrick (another book I recommend).  Going along the lines with training out the self-centeredness, she talks about how families are told that they need to acclimate to the baby's schedule but in reality, the baby needs to acclimate to the family's schedule---THANK YOU!!!  We had no idea what we were doing when we brought our first baby home, and I've found it such a relief that we've discovered the "secret" that you CAN train your children to be blessings from the moment you bring them home and don't have to wait until they reach the "Terrible Two's"! (which I'm confident will be non-existent in our children, praise the Lord)!