The Rules of Parenting, 3rd Edition

RULE 91

Being younger doesn’t necessarily speed everything up

There’s a strange school of thought I’ve often encountered that seems to be of the opinion that children get over things more quickly than grown-ups. I’ve no idea where it comes from but I can tell you it’s a load of rubbish.

Of course, some kids get over some things more quickly than some grown-ups. But children are also more likely to revisit traumas as they grow. After all, they’re developing all the time and events from their past shift in significance. A child who initially seemed to cope well with a death in the family may suffer huge grief over it a few years later. Something that was said to your child five years ago might still haunt them. Or they might secretly still hope ...