Robin, Peter, and Darryl: Three to the Hospital (Columbia University, Department of Nursing, 1969)

Shows the importance of preparing children psychologically for hospitalization. Cinema verite technique, with minimum narration, gives views of three children under 3 years who have been hospitalized for minor surgery. Shows vividly and honestly the effect of maternal separation and reaction to hospitalization. The do's and don'ts for parents and hospital staff are well-illustrated. Discussion sparker; especially for people involved with children.
Learn more about this film and search its transcript at NLM Digital Collections: resource.nlm.ni...
Learn more about the National Library of Medicine's historical audiovisuals program at: www.nlm.nih.go...
#childpsychology #hospitalization #medicalhistory

[@Todaystruecrimereport]

The nurse who was attending to Robin the first day is the type of nurse all children should have. Very caring, attentive who gets Robin to do what she wants. A lot of these nurses are amazing. What happened to nursing since then? Most are impatient and have nasty attitudes.

[@lucyterrier7905]

Stop complaining. Try being a nurse for a week. Reimbursement from insurance companies are lower than they were years ago, that's why they are juggling several patients at a time. Plus, documentation takes more time than patient care. It's way too much of a bureaucracy to find the time to spend this kind of time with patients. Voting for leaders that push through universal healthcare style medicine doesn't help either.

[@BenFoldsFan421]

@@lucyterrier7905. I came here to say the same thing… The patients these days are absolutely unreasonable, some of them… My mom is a retired registered nurse, and she’s told me stories about how patience is act, all kinds of crazy crazy, and the nurses usually get the crap end of the stick… It’s a tough job dealing with people at their so

[@kathleenmckeithen118]

@@lucyterrier7905 You are so right!

[@mbb--]

@@lucyterrier7905 How about you stop complaining. No one's forcing you to be in that line of work. Do something else if you don't like the conditions. Patients deserve courtesy, competence and professionalism from people who are paid quite well to deliver those things.

[@kimp.e.8171]

Robin's mom seems emotionally detached, Peter's mom gives in too much to his tantrums, and Daryl's mom seems to be attentive and caring. Three different parenting styles, three different personality traits of children, which is proof that we are more a product of our environment than once perceived.

[@ultimatevintagefan7747]

I wonder what kind of adults they turned out to be.

[@dianeneel3294]

So glad that today’s child care in the hospital involves the parents more and allows the parents to stay in the room!

[@matthewthomasjames]

Poor Robin. How cowardly it was for her mother to keep slipping out on her without telling her goodbye.

[@noongourfain]

Sorry but if you look closely you are wrong. Robin's mom was no less caring and brought her 2 new pairs of pajamas one each visiting day. How cowardly for Robin's FATHER to abandon the family...where was HE while this woman is trying to raise three kids on her own...she was working and taking care of Robin's older siblings on her own and making sure Robin DID get her operation. It was just 4 days in the hospital......... I'm sure Robins mom felt terrible about leaving her there alone! But it had to be done.

[@matthewthomasjames]

@@noongourfain Well, yes you may be right. Sadly, the welfare state drove many families who would have been together apart, but sometime the mother knew that if she had more children she’d get a better check. It’s true, I don’t know what this woman’s situation was and perhaps she knew that if she’d tell her daughter, a hysterical fit might ensue. To me, as a mother, it looked so cruel. But it really is true that she may have chosen the best route for her own child. So I acknowledge that was a poorly thought out comment on my part.

[@bunglejoy3645]

Parents couldn't stay in those days parents in those days if docyor said waitvoutside they fid they wernt uncaring or neglectful yo their kidscits just doctors in those days were tin gods

[@mariekatherine5238]

When I had to be admitted to hospital at age three for repair of a kidney injury, my Navy Papa pulled no punches. It was gonna hurt, I could cry if I had to, but I would be brave like a sailor, brave for the other children, and brave for the sisters. I was gonna be recovered in time for Fourth of July and our cousins would be coming to the party at our house.

[@noongourfain]

Sweet!

[@chetyoubetya8565]

Rubbish you were a child not a sailor.He basically said stop showing fear and emotion.

[@wingv313]

Robyn needs more love & less abandonment. Peter needs discipline. Darryl was a sweetheart.

[@noongourfain]

Robins mother was less verbal, communicated differently, but brought 2 new pairs of pajamas for Robin one each visiting day. I don't think Robin was any less abandoned and I think her mother was just as loving...she had to get home to the other 2 children...because no father was looking after them it seemed! The only difference was that Peter's parents had the authority to advocate for him and to get him back home faster than Robin or Darryl.

[@BriannaClacken-kk7zf]

Peter is grown now I wonder how he’s doing

[@christinanjeim4654]

Ok let’s be honest robin is the biggest 2 year old I’ve ever seen

[@juliebrooke6099]

Already obese unfortunately.

[@e-voirentertainment3887]

😢 she really is

[@Ky_Vexxed_Cass]

Its so neat to get a window back into how parents operated with their children so long ago, as compared to today.

[@BimBop83]

Poor Robin. She’s going to have abandonment issues. I hope she had other influences in her life that helped her.

[@Councilof8for43]

Robin needed to get off that damn bottle. Her teeth were rotted because of it and Mom didn't seem to care. It kept her quiet. Thats all mom cared about!!

[@noongourfain]

Don't be so hard on Robin's mom. She brought her not one but TWO new pairs of pajamas...and read to her from a book! Robin's mom was obviously a single mother with three children to raise on her own. No father appeared for Robin....and no one seems to notice this?

[@494ava]

@@Councilof8for43so correct

[@Ashleightroll]

I'm studying to become a Child Life Specialist. Today, we understand a lot more about child development and how hospitalization affects children. Parents are encouraged to stay with their children as much as possible. Children have a chance to play and understand what is happening and why. Children like Peter with a more difficult temperament would likely receive a lot of support. It is good to see that most of these nurses were very compassionate.

[@noongourfain]

Didn't Robin NEED a lot of support...she was in a sea of strange faces and her father didn't visit like the other two children's fathers did. I really felt for her. And I don't blame her mother for sneaking out! It was probably just as hard for her, as the other parents to leave her there alone! Robin's mom brought her TWO new pairs of pajamas and read to her from a book! Not the worst mom at all!

[@vickythefist7062]

Poor robin her mother is so cold and just doesnt seem to care. She wants to be anywhere but with her daughter i just want to pick her up and love her .why do all the parents keep sneaking off i NEVER did that when my son was in hospital for two weeks .i cant believe how quick robin got attatched to the grandma of another patient after a matter of minutes . This child was desparate for love wonder how she turned out. I pray she had a good life but something tells me there was something wrong in that family

[@Councilof8for43]

My son was in the hospital for respiratory distress for 5 days when he was 9 months old. I never left him for a second. I slept in a chair next to his crib the entire time. Boy how times have changed!

[@michaeladarko223]

I remeber when i was in Hospital in the age of five.Nobody tells me whats going in and i find myself in a Klinik Bed...I was Sure my parends leave me forever but i was silend.Next day my Operation .The nurses worrid about what i will do in the operationsroom becouse i can only get a lokal anestesy.The doc ASK me will i BE a good Girl and Open my mouth and be silende.I Response im Winnetou and Brave.Only the vacine direkt in my Trotha was pain so mutch that tears come Out but i was still silend ,only i was wait when this will end.When the dock was Finish He was Happy about me so that He told all in the Hospital He was sugery today Winnetou .Only i was cry my Heard Out when i was See my parends between a desk on the door but they cant come to me.I was Wonder the day they get me Home why all this happend.Im Happy that today all IS diffrend😊

[@Ashleightroll]

Some parents sneak away because they don't like to see them crying when they tell them they are leaving. Like the nurse told Peter's dad, it is better to tell children you are leaving now, but will return later. They may cry, but they will trust you.

[@noongourfain]

If you notice Robin's mom did NOT have the support of a partner and was also raising 2 other very young children, seemingly on her own. If Robin's mom didn't care? Robin wouldn't have gotten the operation at all. Robin's mom bought her not one but two pairs of new pajamas? Kissed her on the cheeks and visited her. Maybe Robin's mom was just as uncomfortable to leave Robin alone as Robin was? That's what I saw...a mother leaving to avoid strong emotions on her part as well as her daughter's. And again...what support did Robin's mom get from Robin's father? As compared to the two other children who's father's were very present.

[@Councilof8for43]

Peters parents were SOOOOOO HAPPY to have 3 days without him!! His house was probably the quietest its ever been and his siblings finally had a few days of peace!!

[@H4CK41D]

@elizabethhalasz361wtf that's a terrible thing to say he was 3

[@noongourfain]

@@H4CK41D Yes...not fair to any kid in that situation.

[@kathleenmckeithen118]

Absolutely!

[@racheljersey8247]

Yesss😂

[@bunglejoy3645]

​@racheljersey8247 exactly parents were heart broken when they had to leave thrir kids wondering if child would be scared or cry gor them in the night

[@Beepinsqueekin]

My siblings and I shared a hospital room to get our tonsils out in 1967. I was 10 years old. Parents couldn't spend the nights. I don't remember it being too traumatic of an experience. We were told we could eat ice cream for days afterward, and we looked forward to that! Of course, our throats were sore.

[@SickandTired95]

I had that procedure at 10 years old as well! The ice cream was a great perk because the soreness was terrible.

[@kingfarmer1010]

Poor little Robin

[@jennifreakthompson8888]

Good lord. Robin is crying when other families are leaving by the end of this video.

[@kathleenmckeithen118]

Peter needed to have been told, "No!" many times by the time he was this age. He seems to be a child who has gotten his way more often than not. As as elementary school teacher, I can say these are the hardest children to teach when they continue to be allowed to speak to and treat adults as Peter was allowed to. In my day, he would have been referred to as a spoiled brat. Now, it's called "oppositional defiance disorder". 🙄

[@waitaminute2015]

Right off the bat his mother was negotiating a prize for him if he cooperated. That thought would never have occurred to my mother, especially if I said no in that tone. Of course, my mother wasn't perfect and neither am I, but who's in charge? I think it's more stressful for the kid if strict boundaries aren't set. Maybe I'm wrong?

[@ElishaPodner]

Well this was the 60's, so when was "your" day?!

[@blossom1643]

He IS a Spoiled Brat. (They can Call it whatever they want)

[@LovedbyYah]

😂he needs some discipline

[@noongourfain]

@@waitaminute2015 Peter was spoiled it's true. I think he was the baby of the family. Still not good for him. But also it's not the situation to judge him. He's under 3 and in a big city hospital with strangers! People can say what they want about Robin's mom not returning when she said she would and leaving when Robin...a mere 2 and a half year old asked to go to the toilet by herself! Pretty independent for her age!! It wasstrange it was that she could talk but somehow chose not to? Where was Robin's daddy? Like all the other kids, 2 parents would have been better than one! She needed him by her side for her operation and so did mom! Maybe he didn't get leave from the millitary?

[@Boardonthekeyboard]

Talk about childhood trauma! Hope those kids turned out ok in the end and were able to grow into well adjusted adults.

[@Lex5576]

So glad the technique is much different now. The parents are with the child pretty much around the clock for a surgery these days. It breaks your heart when they have to give them a shot. I don't give a shit what anybody says, a lot of shots can really hurt, especially for a small child. Probably felt like being stung by a wasp to these kids, and that's not a fun feeling even for an adult.

[@H4CK41D]

fascinating upload, thank goodness things have changed in hospitals now, this was far from ideal. poor kiddos, it's tough to watch. The way they misplaced the children's only comfort items in that foreign scary environment. How judgemental and cold the male medical staff were to the kids. How robin's mum never says goodbye and tricks her instead. Heartbreaking. They are only 3. Good they made this to highlight and bring awareness to it at the time so things could change.

[@minervasmith1459]

This was fascinating to watch,,, A true insight into the 2 almost 3 years old mind when separated from parents,,, ❤❤❤

[@DaughteroftheMostHighGod-h6c]

Peter…spoiled brat! Robyn’s mom was cruel by just walking out w/o telling her. Just bc she had 2 other children didn’t mean she couldn’t say goodbye. No wonder Robyn’s teeth are rotting…she only drinks from a bottle at 2+. Darryl’s mom was wrong to walk out w/o telling him. She lied to him…going to get water. Darryl was a sweetie.

[@waitaminute2015]

Its horrible to lie to a kid. Tell them what's going on and what to expect. Be firm but kind. Its not difficult.

[@noongourfain]

I agree, Of course! My mom would have lied to me also. It's not good but they do it for their emotions also. Maybe Robin's mother didn't want to break down? I had a boss who was sent on a kinder transport from Germany through France and Spain with hundreds of other children. He never saw his parents again. They didn't lie to him. Told him exactly what to expect and how to behave. He was 7 and his sister was 9 Robin's mom didn't SEEM have the support of her father in the hospital. Maybe not even at home? She had to be strong and get back to her other two kids. She brought Robin 2 pairs of new pajamas...one each day. Like a cloak of protection.

[@Ky_Vexxed_Cass]

Yall keep saying robin didnt have a dad/mom was a single parent.. but she very clearly says shes married, and her husband is 37. Shes slso seen wearing a wedding ring. He may have not been at the hospital, but she was not a single mom. Oh and Peter clearly never gets told no. Pfsh

[@bethmackins2433]

Daryl was such a sweetheart, lovely lovely little boy. i bet peters parents had the best 3 days of their lives since having him while he was in the hospital!

[@joagate3259]

Poor Peter his parents caused his behaviours, hopefully he got told no sometimes as would make their lives better also.

[@shadrach6299]

Some children are born more willful. It has to do with genetics not parenting 😊

[@kakky5795]

Robins mother is a mean mommy!!

[@noongourfain]

@kakky5795 Where was Robin's daddy? Just to be honest,,,maybe Robin's mom was trying to keep from crying leaving her there? And Robin's mom brought her 2 brand new pajamas every day from the store! No hospital pajamas for Robin. She was also the only parent shown reading her a book! So.....

[@Lankyvaky]

I think Peter was just scared. He seemed agitated, and sometimes children that are unable to fully and appropriately express their emotions often seem angry and upset. Maybe frustrated by their feelings and the fact that they what they feel. Just a thought. ♥️

[@Ashleightroll]

I agree with you. Young children often act out more when they are in frightening situations.

[@forgottenpixel]

@29:16 Aww...finally sweet silent bliss from Peter.

[@matthewthomasjames]

That poor little girl stuck next to Peter!

[@leestern3137]

Robin is the biggest “2 year old” I’ve ever seen 😮

[@Councilof8for43]

Keep putting ginger ale and juice in that bottle and I'm sure Robin ended up an even bigger teen and adult!!

[@Lankyvaky]

@@Councilof8for43 Considering children are *usually* more energetic “ginger ale” isn’t that big of an issue. The issue would be lack of exercise, or in a child’s case lack of activity. People can usually consume sugary drinks as long as they’re physically active. Most energy drinks have a large amount of added sugar, but they are intended for people doing heavy workouts. She just needs to burn calories and brush her teeth, so she doesn’t end up overweight and with sepsis. ;-)

[@noongourfain]

Everyone is putting Robin's mom down in the comments for lying...but... She got Robin her operation brought two new pairs of fancy pajamas And all with no father to help with 3 young kids? Maybe he was in the military, in Vietnam and couldn't get leave like Darryl's dad? Maybe Robin's mom would have cried if she saw Robin crying? We will never know. Any sugary drinks in the bottle is a bad idea...they didn't understand that back then.

[@vdeniceeckert3494]

I cant believe parents cant stay.

[@jennifreakthompson8888]

The volunteers seem to have 1000x superior bedside manner than those nurses. This is ridiculous. Those poor little children.

[@Lex5576]

I agree, those were raw times for sick children in a hospital setting. And the hateful things some of these people are posting about these children and the way they act. They were all scared, some more so than others. I'm just glad the norm today is having parents hands on as much as possible for the whole experience. It'll be a cold day in hell before I leave one of my kids in the hospital unattended by myself or my wife. The people in the video dropped these kids off heartlessly, like an animal left with the veterinarian.

[@eunicestone6532]

Peters mother is at the end of her rope. Lol

[@pidgeonator-2-peckment-day]

This was very distressing to watch, poor little children. 😢

[@Lankyvaky]

The nurses are very attractive and seem very sweet *on camera* ♥️

[@PamelaZandarski]

Not to much interaction with their Child, This just breaks my heart!!! I wonder where they are today?????

[@blossom1643]

“Peter” needs the business end of a Fly Swat Bad!!😂

[@LovedbyYah]

Poor Robin 😢

[@tiffany3294]

Peter got more problems than just surgery 😆

[@SherWat5056]

They all have some serious issues. Robin will probably have the bottle till shes 7. They were bribing with candy. Not good.

[@LunaRain01]

@@SherWat5056 i was a dental assistant until 2001. Parents were *still* bribing with candy and ice cream for bratty dehavior back then.

[@BimBop83]

@@SherWat5056 Darryl seems fine.

[@winifredherman4214]

@@BimBop83Daryl has a great dad!

[@eunicestone6532]

What is Robin doing with that bottle?

[@r.coffman1431]

It was her security at the moment, and no one cared. Sad. Bad time to try and break a strangers kid from a bottle 😢

[@eunicestone6532]

Peter is a real live brat!!

[@HeritageCarriage]

Darrel is an awesome child

[@Lillyofficial_luv]

Wait calombia I born there and I used to get stickers after my shot it's a there's a big amount of memorys there

[@sameoldsonganddance]

The girl was way too old for a bottle and the nurses know it lol. Porch boy was so angry! Little Hispanic boy was just scared. I’d have been the same age as these kids.

[@noongourfain]

They were all almost 3...never put sugary drinks in that bottle They didn't realize that back then. Robin's mom was the only one without a partner's support. Yet she brought 2 new pairs of pajamas one each day. The other kids were in hospital pajamas I think?

[@racheljersey8247]

Robins mother needs to stop feeding her 2 y/o only a bottle. Poor baby

[@Caderdi]

Speek softly, turn down the lights, and only 2 per room, play soft music. Peter is a highly active, oppositional and probably ADHD. All are axious and over stimulated by noise, lights and activity. Thank God its not like this today in hospitals, at least good ones.

[@ladyjane9980]

Why on earth are they feeding these children before surgery?

[@jayneadanoff1876]

so much trauma inflicted at an young age. 😔

[@BimBop83]

Good lord. They’re staying overnight in a safe, warm environment where they’re well looked after, as part of a necessary medical procedure. It’s not trauma.

[@winifredherman4214]

I remember, age 4, staying overnight for tonsillectomy. I had a great time playing and eating ice cream! No trauma.

[@noongourfain]

I was 3 like these kids...nothing would have soothed me me in that situation except drugs in my bottle! No I take it back...TV was all I would have needed...and they had one! But was it switched on 24/7? If not I'm sorry to say...I would have cried myself into unconsciousness!! By 3 I was already terrified of being abandoned on the street! I could read my mother's mind! I KNEW why I was left with grandma for the first 4 years...because I was an unwanted child and would always be unwanted!

[@maryrichardson6457]

4 days for hernia surgery!!!!????

[@VickieV1333]

It was a different time…

[@mascara1777]

Yes, it wasn't laproscopic back then. You had huge cuts.

[@janeybusiness6601]

Yeah, those were the days! Surgery was barbaric.

[@blossom1643]

Those stupid “adults” make me Sick when they Beg the child or “reason” with it. They are as much of a Pain as the Bratty kids.

[@mascara1777]

A child is not an "it" ! They are human beings that should be treasured.

[@Kristin.B]

Stop giving Robin the damn bottle🙈 I wonder where these kids are now

[@dawnagamble1549]

Yeah no kidding! I wanna know what happened to robin.

[@jennifreakthompson8888]

At this rate she will be graduating from high school with that bottle. My goodness.

[@lisabennett4424]

@@jennifreakthompson8888 Robin's mother was giving her that bottle at home, too, in the end of the video. Whenever she whined, she got that bottle. Her mother snuck out, too. I could see a very difficult life for Robin. When things get too hard for mom, she does nothing. I wonder whatever happened to her.

[@logan5girl405]

The poor kids teeth are rotted out from bottle rot

[@matthewthomasjames]

She wasn’t even 3. Weaning her from the bottle during such a scary time would have been cruel.

[@pennyfricke8964]

Peter probably went to jail once or twice until he learned what no meant.

[@e-voirentertainment3887]

Omg peter i would hate to have a kid like that!! Parents are sick of him.

[@bunglejoy3645]

It seems easyvto yoou now ascparents cant stsy but back then if end of v8diting bell rang atv8pm it was bestvto give your kid a hug and go

[@chetyoubetya8565]

Two lazy parents one who lets her son do whatever he wants so it's easier for her and the other one is feeding her 2 yr old through a bottle to the point her teeth are rotting.

[@juliebrooke6099]

Robin’s mother will be back soon. She left her handbag on the chair.

[@ВладПетров-г4щ]

😢😢😢😢

[@stevedogan8336]

I've always wondered what they (apparently routinely) give kids in those shots. I recall getting one in the hinder (I was told by the nurses it HAD TO go there, but apparently from this video, it can go in the leg just as easily) at 4 years old before surgery, and still getting wild when they stuck that gas mask over me! Apparently it's not to calm you down or make you sleepy -at least it sure didn't do that for me!

[@MrFrankeee123]

That was ether I went down a black hole it scared me and I mean scared my 8 year old self to hell and back😮😮😮

[@winifredherman4214]

My granddaughter didn’t have enough fat on her thighs for a shot. She never cried, was just extremely interested in the needles for vaccinations!

[@anniegreenwind971]

@@winifredherman4214wow! Never heard of a child interested in needles.

[@HeritageCarriage]

All that bottle and she just lays around poor kid

[@vickythefist7062]

Terrible bedside manner poor little mites

[@ruisilva9210]

Peter wasn´t having any of that!

[@anmyk.1138]

In my opinion Robin is fucked for life. Hope love finds him cause he won't know where to be searching.

[@vdeniceeckert3494]

Robin still takes a bottle. Rots the teeth

[@juliebrooke6099]

You can see a cavity when they do a close-up after she is given her pre-op.

[@Ohhappyday764]

Peter sounds ADHD

[@racheljersey8247]

This is why you need to hsve your kids speaking English language.

[@esmeraldayigit923]

😢😢😢😢😅

[@3aeren]

Daryl was a well adjusted kid ;) Spoke to soon hehehehhe :) "Now yell" lollll

[@waitaminute2015]

Well, he was better than the others. Just scared, plus probably influenced by the others.

[@LovedbyYah]

What did they give Peter 😂 smh

[@dawnagamble1549]

Good ridens robin 🤣🤣🤣

[@kelliezimmerman1083]

What a terriblie vedio

[@YouWillNeverFillMyShoes]

Darryl is so cute.

[@noongourfain]

I wish I knew what happened to Robin, Peter and Darryl? I wish they would come here and comment! If any of the people in these videos are watching? PLEASE comment on the experience? Nurses, Parents, Doctors and the kids of course! What do you remember about this? The world was SO SO different in 1969! I was 3. Just a few months older then these kids. I can't imagine going through what they went through! Bad enough getting bit by the squirrel when I wouldn't let go of his peanut. Getting my knees stuck in the fence around the seal pool and the firemen coming to the rescue. My dad took me to the park and my nose got smashed bloody on the see-saw. Please share, like and subscribe ...maybe this video will find them.

[@kathleenmckeithen118]

I was 21 in 1969 and have been thinking the same thing. I just wonder how life turned out for these children.

[@anthonyr4657]

Topical behave for name Pitter

[@noongourfain]

You know a Peter? So do I!!! So true! LOLOLLOLL