The True Strength of Children
How often have we heard, “Children are resilient”? As Dr, Bruce Perry says, “Children are not resilient; they are malleable.” (Of an object, malleable means “able to be changed in shape by force or pressure”; of a child it is used to mean “impressionable, adaptable”.)
Not too long ago it was believed that trauma was relatively inconsequential for children, as they were thought to “forget it”, or “get over it”. As Dr Perry points out, of course they “get over it”; what other choice do they have?
With the advent of the historic Adverse Childhood Experiences Study by Felliti and Anda, it became obvious that childhood traumas cast long shadows.
