Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

strangers. The children cling to some objector to some form of expression which means tothem, at that moment, memory of the materialpresence of the mother. Some will cling to atoy which the mother has put into their handsat the moment of parting; others to some itemof bedding or clothing which they havebrought from home.Some will monotonously repeat the word bywhich they are used to call their mothers, asfor instance, Christine, seventeen months old,"who said: "Mum, mum, mum, mum, mum .She repeated it continually in a deep voicefor at least three days.Observers seldom appreciate the depth andseriousness of this grief of a small child. Theirjudgment of it is misled for one main reason.This childish grief is short-lived. Mourningof equal intensity in an adult person wouldhave to run its course throughout a year; thesame process in the child between one andtwo years will normally be over in thirty-six toforty-eight hours. It is a psychological errorto conclude from this short duration that thereaction is only a superficial one and can betreated lightly. The difference in duration isdue to certain psychological differences betweenthe state of childhood and adultness. Thechild's life is still entirely governed by theprinciple which demands that it should seek51.