The hearing child arrives at the association of meaning with the sounds of words only after very many repetitions.  How often must the child hear “Mamma,” “Look at mamma,” “See, here is mamma,” “Mamma is coming,” “Mamma is here,” “Where is mamma?” “Do you love mamma?” “Mamma loves baby,” etc., etc., from morning to night, day after day, week after week.  The mother does it for pleasure; to play with and pet the dear baby.  She does not think of it as a teaching exercise, but it is a very important one.  The deaf baby will learn gradually to associate a meaning with the various sequences of movement of the lips, if a little care is taken to watch his eyes and to speak when they are directed toward the speaker, and to stand in such relation to the light that it falls upon the speaker’s face.  The speech should be the same as to the hearing child, but it takes a little more care and watchfulness to have the deaf child see the same word or phrase as many times as the hearing child hears it.  If it is spoken when the baby is not looking, it does not help.

When the little one is learning to walk, the mother says, “Come to mamma,” “Go to daddy,” and gradually he learns “come” and “go.”  She has him play hide and seek with another child, and she says, “Where is Tom?” “Where is the baby’s mouth?” “Where is the baby’s nose?” etc., and by and by he knows “where” and “mouth” and “nose,” and the names of his playmates or brothers and sisters.  When he is sitting on the floor she picks him up, saying “up.”  When she puts him from her lap to the floor she says “down.”  If he is naughty she says “naughty,” and perhaps spats his little hands, and so on through the day.  A little care on her part, a little added thought and watchfulness, perhaps a few more repetitions, and little by little she will find her deaf baby learning to look at her always, and to understand much that is said to him.  She must all this time remember, also, that the shades of feeling, pleasure, disappointment, approval, disapproval, doubt, certainty, love, anger, joy, which are largely conveyed to the hearing child by intonation of voice, must be conveyed to the deaf baby by facial expression and manner.  They become very keen at interpreting moods by the look.  Let the face be sunny and kind and INTERESTED, if possible.  The first indication of impatience, of being bored and weary, will destroy much of one’s influence with the deaf child.

Sometimes it is harder to disguise one’s feelings in the face than in the voice.  Do not be caught unawares.  Interest, cheerfulness, and patience are tremendous forces to help the little deaf child.

Some one has said: 

     “When you consent, consent cordially;
     When you refuse, refuse finally;
     When you punish, punish good-naturedly.”

XI

FORMING CHARACTER