Doctors say children could feel insecure when they find that “invincible” adults have no control over their own lives.
MUMBAI: Richanshu is a rough-and-tough child. When he is on his best behaviour, the 11-year-old single-handedly bashes up all the villains on cartoon programmes. But on Tuesday, says his father Rakesh Mishra, he suddenly went quiet, and brooded before the TV.
Ditto his sister, Kruti, 4, who has been unanimously christened as ‘Osamaben’ by the Nerul neighbourhood for her brattishness. “Usually, Kruti chatters away when I come home,” says a worried Mishra. “But yesterday (Tuesday), she hardly spoke.”
“I felt very bad watching the blasts,” says Richanshu gravely. “Why were innocent people being blown off like this? First it was Srinagar and then Mumbai. Why do people do this?”
Abhimanyu Sengupta, 6, also wants to know. He got a headache watching gory images of the blasts for two hours on TV. “He started crying and got startled when he saw his pet dog next to him - both are unusual reactions,” says his mother, Aparna. “He kept asking, ‘What do they want’?”
Doctors say children could feel insecure when they find that “invincible” adults have no control over their own lives. Add to that TV. “The visual image is very strong; it can stay with a child for some time,” says child psychiatrist Nirmala Rao.
Fortunately, says clinical child psychologist Anureet Sethi, the impressions don’t last too long: “Early childhood traumas can leave marks in adulthood, but these are usually related to personal experiences. In this case, if a child has a father who commutes by train, he will probably be more affected than one whose parents drive to work.” Abhimanyu has been asking his mom whether it’s safe for her to commute.
Mumbai children, says Dr Sethi, are hardy: “They are more exposed, aware of terrorism, and face more crises than kids in other cities.” Doctors advise parents to talk to their children about changes that are good and bad.
There are dangers of too little TV as well. On a Churchgate-bound train on Wednesday morning, an empty black bag created much anxiety. A seven-year-old child asked a policeman, “Why are you checking it? What’s the big deal about a bomb blast?” His mother sighed, “I didn’t want him to see the explosions so I sent him off to play.”
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