Stress on Children

Stress on children can cause long term consequences on the biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development.  My grandfather grew up in a small town in rural South Carolina and was faced with many stress.  Poverty, hunger, and chaos were a few challenges he faced everyday.  His mother died when he was very young and his father was an alcoholic who left town for weeks or months at a time.  He and his sister were left to fend for themselves.  They were able to stay with their grandmother at night to sleep but she did not allow them in the house much after school each day.  As he tells the story he would wonder around and try to find food where ever he could and hang out around the house until finally she would yell for them to come in and get a little dinner and go to bed.  She didn't have much herself so they done had very nutritious meals very often.  He grew up and was never very tall.  I think this stems from the lack of adequate nutrition during the important years of young childhood.  Even though he wasn't very big he was very fast at running and when he got into high school he joined the football team because they were given free lunch at school each day and then before the game each week they were given an homemade meals by the other parents.  He says this was his favorite part about playing football.  At 18 years old he went into the military again he says so he would be feed and make a little money.  During adulthood he married, has two boys and found a job at a food distribution company.  He slowed worked his way up the corporate ladder and put in 24 years of hard work.  He was able to retire early and given a great retirement package that will allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.  Throughout the years he was also able to acquire numerous properties which he owns to this day and rents out for additional income.  Although his childhood is a very sad story the outcome was wonderful for him.  He was able to overcome growing up in extreme poverty, never knowing where the next meal was going to come from and never really having a place to call home.  Unlike many he used his challenges to give him goals and a direction he wanted out of life.  He coped with his adversity and slowing made a better life for himself.  He will tell you he never thought he would be where is today and he thinks his childhood is what made him who he is and he is grateful for having experienced it because that allows him to appreciate the life he now has.

I was just reading an article other day about how China stills enforces a one child policy.  I think this is completely barbaric and causes numerous stressors in children and adults.  I feel like this is a type of isolation for children as they are growing up never knowing what it is like to have a sibling and eventually, as their parents pass away, it will leave a whole generation of children without the support of a family.  They are not able to learn socially like other children and often lack vital networking skills needed for life.  It also means children grow up in a constant state of fear as their family is essentially owned by the state.  Mothers are not in control of their own bodies and face strict fines and forced abortions is they end up pregnant with other children.  Often there are complications with these abortions and can leave women with permanent medical issues or even cause death.


References:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/may/06/chinas-barbaric-one-child-policy