ABSTRACT

In chapter 1 we saw how, after the separation of birth, a baby is 'grappling' with attachment and separation from its earliest days. We also saw how children who were separated from their parents by going to hospital, for instance, protested angrily and then despaired. The angry protest went on to alternate with despair as long as hope for reattachment could be maintained. If, however, a child reached a period of detachment then it was difficult for her to reattach either to the old attachment figure or to a new caretaker. These studies help us to get some idea of the immensity of children's grief when they are separated from their parents or caretakers.