The turning over of the foot is believed to be sometimes occasioned in children by their being obliged or encouraged to stand or walk upon them for too long a time, when making their first attempts, in infancy. The bones, ligaments, and muscles being all soft, tender, and weak at this period, they may be forced into almost any shape by pressure or overstraining. This is something worthy of careful attention from parents. It is very easy to let a child contract a habit of walking which will render the feet and legs deformed through a whole lifetime. It is also very easy to prevent it, and give the child a natural, upright, easy, and graceful walk by taking a little pains at the proper period. And it should also be remembered that crooked feet and ankles are more easily straightened while they are young than when the foot has obtained its growth, and every part become firmly settled in its false position. The legs and feet may turn inward, developing knockknees and flat-foot, or outward, growing into bow-legs, with the feet invariably treading over the opposite way. If a child grows up with either of these distortions, after being born with sound limbs, which might have been continued in their natural perfection, there is, on the part of somebody, a sad lack of duty. It is quite possible, also, that this habit may be adopted by children sometimes from wearing a shoe that hurts the foot. The sufferer may turn it on one side to avoid a peg, or some rough projection on the insole, and in this way the fault may be developed in some of those cases where one foot treads over, while the other stands upright. And children will often get into an awkward manner of standing or walking, even without any reason for it—from sheer carelessness—and require a great deal of watching, in order to train up their feet correctly.[6] It is to be borne in mind that in all cases of weak ankles, except those incurably so, the object should be to support them no more than is necessary; but instead, to allow the muscles to be used as much as possible for the sake of _strengthening them_. When the whole support comes from braces—in the shoe or outside of it—there is nothing left to be done by the muscles on the side of the foot and leg, and consequently they remain weak. The law of growth and strength is use, exercise, or labour. Hence, though guards and braces are sometimes required for weak-ankled children, there ought to be plenty of room between them and the foot; and it will be well to discard them as soon as a leather stiffening in the shoe can be safely substituted.