Freud_Burlingham_1943_War_and_Children_k_text

January-February, 1941HAMPSTEAD NURSERYIn day-time the life of the children does notdiffer in any way from that of an institutionunder peace-time conditions. The childrenplay, paint, draw, sing, dance in the nurseries;go for walks in the street or play in our gardenwhere they learn climbing on a jungle gym.We disregard day-light raids except for callingthe children in from the garden or the streetwhen the sirens go on. Londoners otherwise ignoreday-light raids except when a plane isheard directly overhead. But it is thought besttokeep children home during raids as much aspossible, to avoid the chance of their beinghit by odd pieces of shrapnel.Every evening, whether there is an air-raidor not, the children are settled down in theirshelter beds,the shelter taking the place of anordinary bed-room. This is much wiser thanputting the children to bed upstairs and onlytaking them to shelter when the sirens go. Theroutine of their waking and sleeping remainsin this way independent of air-raids and lulls.They go to bed at their usual time and there isno need to disturb them when hostilities beginoutside.93