This actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea. They used to teach this stuff, or some of it, in home economics class, but that class has been all but eliminated in many schools. It should also include men, for father training. Parenthood is a difficult job. Every bit of knowledge goes a long way.
The Trained Mother
Here’s a new profession and a new school, the profession of trained motherhood and a school to do the training. New York has the first and only one.
What do they teach?
The first year the pupils learn to take scientific care of very little babies, both well and sick, and to make their tiny garments. They also learn story telling. Think of that! They become familiar with games and other simple amusements.
The second year they take up hygiene with special reference to the kindergarten age, child study, the work of the trained nurse, the principles of heredity and the routine of day nursery work.
The third year they get deeper into the study of hygiene with eminent physicians to lecture to them, and then venture into the field of mental life from infancy to adolescence.
This is learning “mothercraft.”
Probably it will be a good thing for the fortunate kids who get the trained mothers, though there have been some very good mothers in this world who didn’t have such advantages. It is to be feared, too, that the new school will turn out a lot of fine trained mothers who will never have any any babies to mother.
It is doubtful if there would be any more homes or husbands if every young woman were schooled in mothercraft, but there might be some happier and healthier children.
Source: The Day Book (Chicago, Illinois newspaper). June 20, 1912
