[Toy Soldier]

It is a terrifying yet psychologically interesting phenomenon, one that I find very sad when it comes down to the mechanics. It's yo do with the conscious and unconscious mind and how quickly we can switch to "autopilot", especially when stressed or if there is a lot going on.

HOW EVER, it's not actually true that it can happen to "anyone". The psychological mechanism for it happening means that it can only happen if that persons "autopilot mode" (I. E. Their default mode... The way they are most used to existing) includes NOT having their child with them. For example, it's more likely to happen to fathers than mothers statistically, and that's because (generally) fathers tend to spend most of their week away from the home working, and therefore when their brain switches into that mode, it doesn't "expect" the child to be there. Likewise, it's more likely to happen to parents who heavily utilise childcare / often leave the child with other family members.

It is highly Unlikely to happen to a parent who spends most of their time with a child in tow. The phenomenon actually occurs the other way in that case - when the parent DOESNT have the child with them as usual (a rare occasion left with a grandparent maybe, or their first few months of preschool) then if "auto mode" triggers, they might have a momentary panic response when the child isn't there, before remembering that they're somewhere else.

Essentially... This is a very modern phenomenon driven by the pressures of society. It's psychologically understandable, but it's not "natural", and it makes me quite sad that so many parents (and the vast majority of fathers) are so used to being away from their children most of the time, that it is their psychological "default". It seems arse backwards, really.

Before anyone gets up in arms: I'm not saying that it's their fault or that they have any choice in this. We all have to run the rat race to survive. It's just... ****ty.