Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

odily injuries in air raids though, as mentionedbefore, it does not exclude children whohave been bombed repeatedly and partly buriedin debris. So far as we can notice, there wereno signs of traumatic shock to be observed inthese children. If these bombing incidentsoccur when small children are in the careeither of their own mothers or a familiarmother substitute, they do not seem to be particularlyaffected by them. Their experienceremains an accident, in line with other accidentsof childhood. This observation is borneout by the reports of nurses or social workersin London County Council Rest Centreswhere children used to arrive, usually in themiddle of the night, straight from theirbombed houses. They also found that childrenwho arrived together with their own familiesshowed littleexcitement and no undue disturbance.They slept and ate normally andplayed with whatever toys they had rescuedor which might be provided. It 1 is a widelydifferent matter when children, during anexperience of thiseven lose their parents.kind, are separated from orIt is a common misunderstanding of thechild's nature which leads people to supposethat children will be saddened by the sight ofdestruction and aggression. Children betweenthe ages of one and two years, when put to-21