Child’s trauma over dog bite prompts father to reflect

The Hindu on Saturday published a reader's personal account exploring the meaning of trauma after the author's nine-year-old daughter asked him if he had any childhood trauma. The daughter described being bitten by a stray dog at a fuel station in Tamil Nadu in 2024, an event that changed her behaviour around dogs and which she now calls trauma.

The author recalled a 1992 incident where his cousin was gored by a cow and required seven stitches, an event that affected the cousin for over a year. The father told his daughter that her experience did not classify as trauma, arguing that the word has greater depth and that she came out unscathed. He expressed a hope that she will learn about harsher realities such as war, famine, and pogroms.