My nieces, as I may have mentioned before, like to hide.

[conuly]

They hide under beds. They hide in closets. They hide in cupboards, and in laundry bags, and under blankets in the middle of the floor. They hide behind trees and bushes and houses. They hide and sneak up behind you.

Hiding is a way of life for them.

Ana can hide very well where we have no idea where she is, but she mostly doesn't bother. The point isn't to be hidden, after all, the point is to be found! Evangeline... not so much. She's only four, after all, so she's bound to talk or fidget sooner or later.

My sister and I have independently had the same thought: Fun as it is for them, how hard must it have been to hide small children during the Holocaust? Not just hiding and being quiet for a short time, and then yelling "COME FIND ME", but being hidden for days and days (and years and years, but children think in days, don't they usually?) all the time?

Or hiding on the Underground Railroad with children, or hiding in any of the other situations in history where you needed to smuggle your children to safety as quickly as possible.

I have no idea how these people managed. Even cadging one day out of the hiding abilities of a preschooler, no matter how much self-control they had back then? That's an enormous undertaking. It's a depressing thing to think of as you watch the laundry bag inch its way across the floor, but I think of it every time - how on Earth were those people lucky enough to manage this?

Comments

[barnhengemama.livejournal.com]

I've thought about that many times. The most horrifying thing to think about is what happens to the baby or young child that makes noise at the most wrong possible time and a group is at risk. You have to silence it, and quickly. That scenario has haunted me for ages.

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

It is a haunting thought indeed. I've often wondered just how powerful the boob can be (and sometimes it is impressive how quick nursing can quiet them, or even get them to nap!) and noticed the difference babywearing can make in crying periods. But even so, no baby is totally silent. To be faced with such a disasterous choice is terrifying.

[barnhengemama.livejournal.com]

Boob, binkie, or babywearing ftw. I can't remember where I read about the scenario recently, but it's been since I had my LO that really drove it home. Which got me thinking about the Underground Railroad (or Femaleroad via Margaret Atwood)and refugees of all sorts with children. It's just scary.

[peebs1701.livejournal.com]

There was a M*A*S*H episode that dealt with that. Alan Alda's character was talking to his therapist about traumatic stuff during the war. It's kind of disturbing even as fiction, but if you Google "MASH chicken baby" you'll get the rest of the story.

[barnhengemama.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll have to check that out - I watched a lot of that show when I was growing up. I wonder if that's the first place I was exposed to the idea.

[leora.livejournal.com]

You tell the children a bit of what is at stake and they can pick up on the seriousness of it. Children are much less likely to be compliant when they don't think they will be killed or tortured if they misbehave. But it's amazing how motivating the thought of being beaten can be.

We tend to try to protect children and make the world safe for them. We don't force adult responsibilities or adult consequences onto them if we can help it. However, if you don't protect them and do force adult responsibilities onto them, you tend to get kids who mature faster. Sometimes in broken patterns or with horrible trauma, but they will act more mature for their age in various ways.

[interactiveleaf.livejournal.com]

That's roughly what I was going to say--it's not too hard to change the behavior of people of *any* age by scaring the **** out of them.

Also: Happy birthday Conuly!

[sayga.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday!

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

I seem to recall that Harriet Tubman carried morphine drops or something similar for quieting small children. You'd really have to.

[conuly]

I thought it was that she carried a gun.

[cumaeansibyl.livejournal.com]

That was to shoot anybody who wanted to go back. I checked, and she did carry drugs too, because shooting a baby isn't so great.

[pne.livejournal.com]

I've noticed Amy has got quite a bit better at hiding recently -- before, it was easy to find her because she'd giggle as soon as you got close, especially if you announce that you are looking in odd places ("Is Amy under the LEGO blocks? No. Is she under the chair? No." etc.).

Now she can remain quiet a lot better so you actually have to *look* for her (as opposed to *listening* for her).