Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

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them as far as they can understand what ishappening. As described above they have, inspite of their youth, acquired a certain degreeof knowledge of this new danger. But itwould be a mistake to over-rate this understanding,and consequently, to over-rate theamount or the permanency of this real fearof air raids. Knowledge and reason only playa limited part in a child's life. Its interestquickly turns away from the real things inthe outer world, especially when they are unpleasant,and reverts back to its own childishinterests, to its toys, its games and to itsphantasies. The danger in the outer worldwhich it recognises at one moment and towhich it answers with its fear, is put aside inanother moment. Precautions are not keptup, and the fear gives way to an attitude ofutterdisregard.There isthe observation made by one of ourcolleagues during a day-light air raid in asurface shelter into which a mother had shepherdedher little son of school age. For awhile they both listened to the dropping ofthe bombs; then the boy lost interest andbecame engrossed in a story book which he hadbrought with him. The mother tried to interrupthis reading several times with anxiousexclamations.He always returned to his book after a sec-26
ond, until she at last said in an angry andscolding tone: "Drop your book and attend tothe air raid".We made exactly the same observations inthe Children's Centre at the time of the December,March, and May raids. When ourune.xploded bomb lay in the neighbouringgarden, the children began by being mildlyinterested and afraid. They learned to keepaway from glass windows and to avoid theentrance into the garden. By keeping upcontinual talkabout the possible explosion wecould have frightened them into continuationof that attitude. Whenever we let the subjectalone their interest flagged. They forgot aboutthe menace from the glass whenever they returnedto their accustomed games; when thethreat from outside lasted more than a weekthey began to get cross with it and denied itspresence.In spite of the bomb still being unremovedthey suddenly declared: "The bomb is goneand we shall go into the garden!"There is nothing outstanding in this behaviourof children towards the presence of realdanger and real fear. It is only one exampleof the way in which, at this age, they dealwith the facts of reality whenever they becomeunpleasant. They drop their contact withreality, they deny the facts, get rid of their27
Page 1 and 2: •?mm
Page 7: WAR AND CHILDREN
Page 10 and 11: COPYRIGHT 194Jy»- ruALL RIGHTS RES
Page 13: The Foster Parents' Plan for War Ch
Page 16 and 17: of children has, therefore, little
Page 18 and 19: The Nurseries, further, give lodgin
Page 20 and 21: the significance of air raids. They
Page 22 and 23: The understanding of catastrophes,
Page 24 and 25: confused in her mind with the more
Page 26 and 27: gether in a play-pen will bite each
Page 28 and 29: fact that the destruction raging in
Page 32 and 33: fear in this manner and return, app
Page 34 and 35: they knew about its wickedness. It
Page 36 and 37: from danger and put them in surroun
Page 38 and 39: her mother's lack of fearnot develo
Page 40 and 41: dren. We have four examples, where
Page 42 and 43: urged to adapt themselves to a high
Page 44 and 45: oth qualities in the eyes of its ow
Page 46 and 47: misfits.They have in their position
Page 48 and 49: certainly more than the average ine
Page 50 and 51: Development of the Mother-Relations
Page 52 and 53: mother also at times when there is
Page 54 and 55: other people in the world besides i
Page 56 and 57: pleasure and avoid pain and discomf
Page 58 and 59: ooms, the position of the beds and
Page 60 and 61: Both sexes in this manner have thei
Page 62 and 63: only one main punishment for anybod
Page 64 and 65: not develop on quite the same lines
Page 66 and 67: the present. New ties are form Ther
Page 68 and 69: fine or even make a mental picture
Page 70 and 71: urn Road after their houses had bee
Page 72 and 73: i./?being used as bombs. Playing tr
Page 74 and 75: their pets, which they probably wou
Page 76 and 77: finite way of demonstrating the sce
Page 78 and 79: and narcissistic at the beginning o
Page 80 and 81:
caused by neglect; it can, on the o
Page 82 and 83:
tion of aggression due to the examp
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ig or small that loss may be, the f
Page 86 and 87:
The second case, Sylvia, three and
Page 88 and 89:
the destruction which goes on aroun
Page 90 and 91:
with the mother which contains all
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esidential homes these should be si
Page 95:
The previous part of the book isbas
Page 98 and 99:
AllayingFearEven children whose mot
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their children. They appreciate eve
Page 102 and 103:
street next to the one in which she
Page 104 and 105:
This same state of affairs continue
Page 106 and 107:
went upstairs or downstairs,Patrick
Page 108 and 109:
Blitz in September and October 1940
Page 110 and 111:
ing underneath, tried to drop a hea
Page 112 and 113:
more than a year her junior.Her lat
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whether this was the way in which s
Page 116 and 117:
ditions was too short to make up fo
Page 118 and 119:
or abnormal outcome seems to be the
Page 120 and 121:
somehow included in it and soon bec
Page 122 and 123:
een re-opened,excited much comment
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with an absent love object. We say
Page 126 and 127:
PARENTS AND CHILDRENJune-July 1941S
Page 128 and 129:
older children three and four years
Page 130 and 131:
denied admission but he waited outs
Page 132 and 133:
In addition to the story, he said h
Page 134 and 135:
1which used to belong to his parent
Page 136 and 137:
porch leading down to terraced lawn
Page 138 and 139:
Peter, whom he had brought from hom
Page 140 and 141:
for them was no shock of any kind.
Page 142 and 143:
and a half years of his life and th
Page 144 and 145:
the children have not been informed
Page 146 and 147:
some patient and careful work tomot
Page 148 and 149:
withheld from the child and that th
Page 150 and 151:
months thi9 was the period I was in
Page 152 and 153:
of our own. This training scheme is
Page 154 and 155:
COOKINGSEWINGTwo courses of two-hou
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tensive Christmas leave. Brenda, se
Page 158 and 159:
mother's relationship remains more
Page 160 and 161:
Ronny, seven years old, who takes v
Page 162 and 163:
The step taken was the subdivision
Page 164 and 165:
to them, reappeared as often as she
Page 166 and 167:
April—July 1942CONFLICTING ATTITU
Page 168 and 169:
y the doubt and worry whether she h
Page 170 and 171:
But even with the best intentions t
Page 172 and 173:
weekly and only a few less often. T
Page 174 and 175:
The same feelings can also be expre
Page 176 and 177:
Her unconscious wish against the ba
Page 178 and 179:
ditions of normal family life. When
Page 180 and 181:
up all precautions, which means tha
Page 182 and 183:
—"Do you remember the first night
Page 184 and 185:
When asked why he worried about thi
Page 186 and 187:
She says: "Teacher says there are a
Page 188 and 189:
away." Which means at this moment h
Page 190 and 191:
parents. All these services were si
Page 192 and 193:
I have seen other nursery schools d
Page 194 and 195:
The mother relationship of the smal
Page 200 and 201:
«MW fee Aarje, keek ms! be krwefc!
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