Show War Is Seen as Flash Point r Of the Secret Fears of Children The article below Wow is the tha first of four fouron on Your Child in Wartime By MARGUERITE YOUNG NEW YORK YORK Experts Experts in understanding understanding understanding under- under standing children are telling two true little stories which show just how war strikes youngsters One story told by Dr Anna Freud who saw it happen to toMary Mary a a. year two Mary lived outside of London Her home was shattered when the blitz began Ten minutes minutes' afterward Dr Freud relates Mary was sleeping peacefully less than fifty feet from a big bomb crater So you see the first important point War War that that Is bombs bursting burst burst- ing panics ing-panics panics children much less than you might expect The younger a child is the less it experiences shock directly Dr Freud says It is a a. far greater shock for a child to be suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly separated from its mother than to have a house collapse around It it Little Sus Susan n Worries About Sm Small ll Brother The other story is about Susan Susan Susan Su Su- Su- Su san an appealing New Yorker of seven She was known to her teachers long before Pearl Harbor Harbor Harbor Har Har- bor as somewhat fearful and timid The morning after New NewYork NewYork NewYork York had Its first first and and false falser r report port that enemy planes were coming Susan landed in the school psychiatrists psychiatrist's office in hysterics She had cried all night It took an hours hour's hard work by the doctor using many years' years training and experience in handling problem children to steady Susan She was not afraid for herself it turned out but f for r her little brother Harry Harry is so small Susan sobbed even a very little bomb would kill him That's typical too War Graver Than We Suspect War War that that Is some something t thing hi n g threatening threatening hurts hurts children in more moro ways than the average adult suspects Dr S S. S Harcourt Peppard chief of the New York public schools school's Bureau of Child Guidance calls war a a flash point It sets off builds up both the openly expressed expressed expressed ex ex- pressed fears and the many se secret secret secret se- se cret unreasoned ones that beset every child in peacetime For this reason the child with marked peacetime troubles is first to seem noticeably hit by war Every Evely child will be touched by war if not at home then out out- side Your hundred p per r cent boy in the best of homes for instance in instance instance in- in stance may come in from school or from play with war talk or even with a spell of war What will you do There are several answers answers in in fact several kinds of answers which are re re- re assuring You can equip yourself with an emotional first aid kit of your own and use it You can get expert information information information tion and probably expert service too if you need It Try to find these in your home town If you cannot you can turn to national resources And speaking speaking- of resources the United States has the worlds world's best Here are some soine important facts about them We Have Fine ine Scientific Knowledge American experts have the best scientific knowledge Psychology Psychology Psychology and science of human nature was used spectacularly in the U. U S. S army in War No 1 and this country has been out front with it ever since Americans Ameri cans have made significant contributions contributions contributions con con- to psychiatry and psychoanalysis The world centers centers centers cen cen- of psychoanalysis are in New York and Chicago The United States has more Institutions better t- t trained staffs better equipped public and private agencies for child guidance than has any other country These are schools clinics clinics clinics clin clin- ics government services like the U. U S S. S Childrens Children's Bureau and the Federal Security Administration tion private welfare agencies like the National Association of Day nurseries the Childrens Children's Aid society and the Red Cross All of them can supply trained or quickly trainable people to add to not to-not not supplant parents' parents care of children The need for trained people has been England's England's Eng Eng- lands land's greatest wartime child problem Some American communities communities communities com com- like Uke New York al already already already al- al ready are training more We Profit Through Brit Britain in British experience has been fine In English efforts to safeguard children Americans Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans find a good example and some mistakes to avoid One British error which American authorities will not repeat is hasty evacuations and haphazard ard school closings American child morale forces are just now being converted for wartime action on the psychological psychological psychological front The U. U S. S Childrens Children's Bureau recently called together experts from over the country They sifted needs and planned They blueprinted what's to be done A clearer cut clearer cut policy for physical protection public health recreation recreation rec rec- leation and welfare centers for and other towns now lacking them They cited the need for day nurseries or other provision for children of women workers There are three million now More will go Into war industry as as factories Increasingly draw on the biggest labor reserve reserve- housewives Mental hygiene societies are counting noses and taking stock In communities communities communities com com- and in the country The Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis has worked out a aplan aplan aplan plan for family guidance and public safeguards against wartime wartime wartime war war- time childrens children's suffering and misdoing |