Traumatized

On Sky News today, some obscure celebrity fashion designer gushed about how she is "traumatized" by global warming. "Traumatized" has become a fad word, overused and often meaningless. Parents have also picked up on this fad and I've had a number complain that their children had been traumatized by trivial incidents at school.

The first time parents complained to me that their child had been traumatized at school, I steeled myself to have to deal with molestation or physical assault, necessitating calling the police. It turned out that little Johny, sitting in my office trying to look suitably traumatized, fell over a school bag after he was shoved by little girl whom he was pestering - no medical certificate was produced and no bruises were visible. They were not impressed when I refused their demand for the girl to be suspended.

Since then I've had to deal with traumatized parents and children on a regular basis. Needles to say, more often than not, the events that led to the trauma were nothing more than common everyday niggles. Trying to explain to such parents that they're teaching their children to cry wolf and that the children may end up unable to deal with the vicissitudes of life, is often futile.