The Churchill Series – Nov. 28, 2006

(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

In recognition of Churchill’s birthday on November 30, I’m beginning today the three-post series I discussed in yesterday's post.

Before reaching age six a child typically accomplishes some extraordinary things: walking, running, balancing, climbing and learning to speak, even perhaps to begin reading, a language. Those accomplishments mostly speak to the child’s physical and intellectual capacities. They don’t necessarily tell us a lot about the child’s character or his or her empathy for others. To learn something of them, we need to look at how the child responds to life's events and treats other people.

In Churchill’s case we know that he was born into a wealthy and privileged family. His parents, talented and ambitious, largely ignored their baby and child. His care was turned over to a nurse, Mrs. Everest. With her he formed a bond of love that lasted throughout their lives. He would care for Everest in her last illness and keep her picture in his bedroom until he died.

When Churchill was age 5 his brother John, always “Jack” in the family, was born. “I remember my father coming into my bedroom (and) telling me, ‘You have a little brother,” he recalled sixty-five years later. As with Winston, the Churchill’s placed Jack in Everest’s care.

The birth of a sibling is a formidable, often threatening event. We’ve all seen children age 5 or so react by reverting to baby talk, thumb-sucking and the like. Sibling rivalry can be intensely competitive, brutally aggressive, and often last a lifetime.

We all could have understood if Churchill had reacted to Jack that way. But he didn’t. Everything we know about the boys early years indicates that, with the exception of occasional, transient squabbles, Winston was an affectionate and protective older brother who joined with Everest in caring for Jack. The brothers were close and mutually supportive throughout their lives. They married within a few months of each other, and the two Churchill couples became “best friends.”

Jack's birth presented young Winston with a great challenge to which he responded magnificently.

The child is father to the man.
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Sources will be provided later today.