Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

withheld from the child and that the peoplein charge did not understand what a toy ofthis kind could mean in comforting a childseparated from both parents. The child'smother is in the hospital with Tb.Insight of this kind, in the beginning cameas a surprise to us. We had rather expected theparents to wish that their presents would berespected and preserved.Understanding of this type is shown withspecial clearness in a letter received last weekfrom John's mother. John, three years old, wasadmitted in September to the country house.As a bed-wetter he had been handed on fromone billet to another—five or six changes inall—and no further place could be found forhim. He is a delicate little boy of graceful,charming appearance, friendly but non-committal,rather frightened, and lost and withoutemotional contact with anybody.All we couldlearn about him was that his father was aprivate in the army and that his mother was ina sanitarium with Tb. When an aunt fromLondon visited him after a short time, we ask-She onlyed for particulars of his past history.told us that she was the mother's sister, thatshe belonged to a family of 13 and that sheknew almost nothing about the child. But shewould write and ask the mother to let usknow as much as possible of the experiences144