"A Study of The Little Child"

I have an adorable little book that I found in an antique store a few years ago entitled, "A Study of The Little Child" by Mary Theodora Whitley.  It is a small book, like a little child and that is why it caught my eye!  It was published in 1921 but the wisdom in the book is both practical and current!  In 1976 when I earned my degree in Early Childhood Education at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, I had no idea what was ahead in my life.  My grandmother always told me that I had "grown my own classroom".  However it takes more than a mother to rear children, it takes a Heavenly Father that the mother can seek guidance from, a loving husband, and caring grandparents if available.  The home though, is where children really are guided in those first few years of their lives.  Dr. Burton White, in his book, "The First Three Years of Life", says that the first three years are the most important in a child's life.  Vocabulary development alone, is acquired in these precious years when children are learning to talk.    Ms. Whitley says "that a good way to take stock of the children is to find out all you can about their parents.  No child is exactly like either father or mother of course, but nearly nine tenths of his/her intellectual power and temperamental peculiarities comes from his/her ancestry."   She also says that environment affects behavior, but common sense tells us this.  Physical, mental, and spiritual nurturing all pay important roles in the life and development of a child.  Love is the key ingredient that helps a child grow and........ unconditional love offered to a child gives him or her the confidence to go out and conquer the world!

I love children, I love being around them, I love their noise, their attitude about life, their honesty, their talents, their laughter, their smiles, their joy, and most importantly their pure hearts~

Much of my sewing over the years, has been for children and I enjoy constructing a garment that a child can wear and feel special in.  This little dress is for Mary Isabel!  She is so precious and so sweet that I decided to place a little flower at the waist because of her delicate nature, only a little flower would do for the finishing touches.  I am also sharing the pattern that I used from The Children's Corner in Nashville, Tennessee.  They have a wonderful collection of patterns that are traditional and make a little girl or a little boy look their age.  I just love them........Proverbs 22:6 promises us great hope for the future of our children....."Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."  Training a child in the few short years we have them in our homes will help him or her in the long run of life when they have to make their own choices and decisions.  A promise, that if you lay a solid foundation  in their lives, theirs will be full of promise and possibilities! Enjoy the day!!!