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Difficult Situations of Loneliness in Children’s Letters (Based on the Example of the Magazines Płomyk and Płomyczek)
Abstract
Children’s letters, as a form of epistolary pedagogy, reveal their deep need for connection, for sharing fragments of their lives – often not happy, joyful, or fulfilling – and for seeking support. Childhood is frequently marked by difficult experiences that both younger and older children must face. These challenges often stem from dysfunctions in the family environment (marital conflicts, inadequate parenting, lack of care, socialization issues, economic hardship), as well as from problems encountered in school (such as learning difficulties) and in peer groups (e.g., lack of acceptance or rejection).
Such circumstances frequently give rise to an acute sense of loneliness, which for children can be profoundly stressful and even traumatic. This study offers a theoretical analysis of loneliness in childhood and adolescence, illustrated with excerpts from letters written by young readers to the editors of Płomyk and Płomyczek. Janusz Korczak, an eminent educator, theorist, and practitioner, deeply attuned to children’s pain and suffering, often emphasized that „a child can be terribly lonely in its suffering”.
Keywords:
epistolary pedagogy, children’s letters, difficult experiences, loneliness, Janusz KorczakDetails
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
