Childhood
Children are especially vulnerable during wartime. Shocked by fathers’ departures for the front and then as they waited anxiously for them to return on home leave. Fathers’ absences also caused real economic difficulties. And in addition to the loss of loved ones that struck many families, bombings were deeply upsetting for the children of Paris. Organizations formed to protect children, offering breastfeeding assistance and day-care for babies whose mothers worked, charities for orphans and holiday camps that allowed children to flee the dangers of the city… The children were also used by organizations to collect money and encourage civilian contributions to the war effort. The generosity and valor of French children, particularly the street urchins of Paris, were held up as a model for adults. Children were thus both the subject and the target audience of patriotic discourse through propaganda and wartime toys.
