My heart and stomach sank. I tried so hard to shield him from the violent distrubing images thrust upon us and yet somehow this. It is a stark reminder of what I tell families almost everyday, that children soak up so much more than we ever realize. That even while we tell ourselves "they are too young to understand" children pick up many cues about what is happening around them and they assimilate those clues in ways that make sense to them.
But it is also a reminder that children's work is the work of play. My son wasn't frightened or upset by his drawing, or what it represented. In fact, he may not even realize that it is a drawing of something in the "real world." By drawing the things he doesn't understand or that may confuse and frighten him he gains mastery and control. He makes his world safer through the work of play. My work with children (including my own) is to help facilitate that control and mastery. Work and play are not that different for children, and sometimes for Social Work Mommies.
