Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

the significance of air raids. They all recognisethe noise of flying aeroplanes; they distinguishvaguely between the sounds of fallingbombs and anti-aircraft guns. They realisethat the house will fall down when bombedand that people are often killed or get hurt infalling houses. They know that fires can bestarted by incendiaries and that roads areoften blocked as a result of bombing. Theyfully understand the significance of taking shelter.Some children who have lived in deepshelters will even judge the safety of a shelteraccording to its depth under the earth. Thenecessity to make them familiar with their gasmasks may give them some ideas about agas attack, though we have never met a childfor whom this particular danger had any realmeaning.The children seem to have no difficulty inunderstanding what it means when their fathersjoin the Forces. We even overhear talkamong the children where they compare theirfathers' military ranks and duties. A child,for instance, with its father in the navy orair force, will be offended if somebody bymistake refers to the father as being "in thearmy." As far as the reasoning processes ofthe child are concerned, the absence of thefather seems to be accounted for in thismanner.16