Child Development Stressors

The effect of violence on a child's development

A family friend who is now 17 came to visit with me last month and we discussed alot of things about his childhood.  He grew up in and lives in an extremely dangerous inner city neighborhood.  The childhood he described was filled with constant fear.  He witnessed someone being killed across the street from him when someone just came out from a building and shot the person across the street.  He learned that when things like that happen you make sure you do not say anything.  Outside of his building where he lives, he sees used, discarded needles scattered by his front door on a daily basis. He described how he has difficulty sleeping because he has to constantly be aware of any sounds.  A neighbors apartment was broken into by a drug addict when they climbed in through the a/c vent (window a/c).  He literally did not sleep the first night he was at my house.  He told me that at home he sleeps with a knife under his pillow.  After two nights of not sleeping, I told him he could take one of the kitchen knives to keep under his pillow.  He was then able to sleep. 

He started having problems in school with agression and violence when he was about 11 or 12.  Luckily, his mother took him for counseling.  He still sees the same counselor to this day twice a month.  She has helped him a great deal to understand the things that he has seen and find a way to handle his emotions and anger.  He is an honors student who will be graduating next year and is currently taking college level classes.  His level of understanding of himself was eye opening to the important role a counselor can have to impact a child's life. 


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Realizing the effect that violence has on a child's development with his story, I looked into what the effect violence has had on children who have grown up in a country destroyed by war.  If his experience had such a profound effect on his development, I wondered what about children who experience even greater amounts of violence.

I found interesting information on the effect of war on children at a website for the organization, War Child.  http://www.warchild.org.uk/issues/effects-war-children?gclid=CNPIiPG-3LICFQsGnQodMQIAnw

It describes the scope of the problem which is horrific.  The organization makes an important point by mentioning the difference one person can make in a seemingly endless need.  The provide life skills and advocacy for children in war stricken countries such as DR Congo.  They also support advocacy groups looking to improve things on an international level. 

On the website they mention instead of asking what difference can one person make, to try asking, what difference can you make to one person.  http://www.warchild.org.uk/what-difference-can-one-person-make

Child Development and Public Health

The public health issue I chose was access to healthy water.  I chose this topic because as a mother I could not imagine not having clean water to give to my children to drink or having to watch my child die from diarrea from the water I gave them.  If even the most basic need of all, water, can not be met than how can we look towards anything further in the development of a child. 



Globally, clean water access is tied closely to proper sanitation as this is what often contaminates the drinking water.  According to the CDC:
" An estimated 801,000 children younger than 5 years of age perish from diarrhea each year, mostly in developing countries. This amounts to 11% of the 7.6 million deaths of children under the age of five and means that about 2,200 children are dying every day as a result of diarrheal diseases." 
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html

Did they really say 2,200 children are dying a DAY from diarrheal diseases!!!!  I did not realize the issue was that critical, that is unbelievable. 

Besides lack of sanitation affecting the water sources, another issue with the water is pharmaceuticals drugs being improperly disposed of and being excreted into our water supplies.  Currently water treatment centers do not have the ability to remove the pharmaceuticals from the water.  With the abundance of people taking daily medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol, depression and even birth control pills, there is alot of contaminants entering the water.  Is this just an over exaggeration? Well, I think that this statement summed it up for me:

"Even though current water contamination levels are measured in parts per million or parts per billion, there is no way to know just how much exposure people are actually experiencing. People drink contaminated water, shower in contaminated water and cook with contaminated water, so it's illogical to suggest that there's no harm being caused by widespread exposure, even at "low" does, especially when the exposure is a combination of dozens of different drugs that have never been tested in combination."

Research conducted on aquatic life has found that fish are experiencing reproductive problems, having damaged sperm and even changing sexes (male to female and female to male)! Does any of this sound familiar in our society?  Well I leave you with the article for further reading!

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/029314_waterways_contamination.html#ixzz26cwPkHtk

The Birthing Experience

The first step in a childs development is the pregnancy and delivery process.  The importance of these areas of development are often overlooked and I am so excited we are studying them in our course this semester.  This topic is near and dear to my heart as a mother of 5...so do I have birth stories to share!

My wonderful birth experience with my youngest son, who is now 2 1/2 was a result of my previous experiences I resolved not to repeat.  My first born, who is 13 now, was born in a hospital where I was forced to lay for 36 hours with no food or water and strapped to a fetal monitor, pumped with pertocin, coerced and browbeaten into having an epidural and almost forced into a c-section, despite being 21, perfectly healthy and having a completely normal pregnancy. So yeah not a great birth experience, but my son is healthy and that was as they told me was there only concern.  As the mother I was treated as an obstacle on there way to the prize not as someone who had anything to do with the birth process at all.  It was a very dehumanizing experience. 

Comparing that experience with the birth of my youngest son is hard to do because it was so completely different.  My youngest had a water birth at a birth center.  It was the most relaxing and powerful experience in my life.  I had him with no pain medication and had a joyful birth which my husband and children attended.  Actually my brother, wife and kids were there too (which was not planned exactly, but someone most have been selling tickets without me knowing it lol!) I had an awesome midwife at the birth center, which was in a converted house with cozy bedrooms which also had some medical equipment if need be. I had the water birth in what looked like a kiddy pool with high sides.  Everthing was professional and sterile but very laid back.  The warm water alleviated alot of the discomfort from the labor and I was able to have my baby laid right in my arms after delivery.  No confusion or high tech security to keep from having my baby stolen, he never left my side.  I took a nap and had something to eat and then went home.

I was interested to see how these two exeriences compared to typical births in other countries.  I found an article from Parenting magazine that interviewed mothers from various countries about the typical birth experience and customs in their country.  The article, http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=4, was very interesting as it compared birth stories from women from the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Brazil and Turkey. 

In Japan, they have mostly natural births with no pain medication due to their belief that the suffering of labor prepares the woman for the job of motherhood.  After the birth the new Mom typically stays at her Mom's house for about a month as it is a cultural tradition for the mother to stay in bed with her baby for 21 days after the birth.  I think that these three customs are wonderful for the child as well as the bond for the mother and child.  It is true that the pain of labor prepares the woman for motherhood as it shows her what she is capable of and it is an important step women skip in this society through epidurals and or c-sections.  Also the ability to rest and focus on bonding with your baby while being loved on by your Mom cannot be overstated, how wonderful must that be! 

Although I had a wonderful birth experience with my youngest I would not at all minded the 21 days in bed loving on my baby! What importance the Japanese place on the mother/child bond and ensuring that the mother is prepared in her new role.  Interesting stuff... I can't wait to learn more!

The end of our first class, how awesome! One down! I am trying to just take the whole program class by class and not look at the whole thing at once.  So hooray for us making it to the first checkpoint! Thank you to everyone who commented or posted.  It is a new experience for me to have an open diary of sorts but it is fun to read everyone's posts and learn more about you all.  I know some of us will be continuing on together to our next classes and I look forward to watching us all grow together.  I have never met people with such a passion for children and it is refreshing.  I think that is what I enjoyed the most about this class, that there are other people who want to make a change in early education and the lives of children. That has inspired me to pursue my dreams even more, so thank you!

Code of Ethics: A set of principles, values or standards that guide decision making and behavior

As we learned the code of ethics of two prominent Early Childhood organizations this week, I was inspired to consider my own personal code of ethics.  What are my values or principles and what is my ideal way of being.  To flip the concept and see it another way, what do my current behaviors say about my principles, values or standards?  How do these two compare? Hmmm self-reflection as we have learned is essential for growth!

Three selections I made from the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment and the Division of Early Childhood Code of Ethics are as follows:

DEC Code of Ethics
Section I.1
We shall demonstrate in our behavior and language respect and appreciation for the unique value and human potential of each child.

I could not agree more and am excited to see this as first on their list.  I feel that without this concept in your heart, in your core, the rest of what we can learn and do as teachers is a waste of time.  We must truly be sculptors looking to bring out the most amazing traits in every child.

Section III.2

We shall recognize our responsibility to improve the developmental outcomes of children and to provide services and supports in a fair and equitable manner to all families and children.

It is our responsibility as those who "know" to show and help others who have various experiences and backgrounds and possibly little to no knowledge on child development.  This is particularly important to me because it is my personal goal to provide parent and teacher education classes and services.

NAEYC Code of Ethics

Section IV. I-4.4

To work through education, research, and advocacy toward a society in which all young children have access to high-quality early care and education programs.

 

This is my ultimate goal and why I began this program of study, a society where all people have an equal start.  This is what quality early care and education provides, an equal opportunity to live to your fullest potential.  

 

 

 

 

 

Motivation

The video we watched on "The Passion for Early Childhood" had professionals whose passion for their work was clear.  I will share here with you some things that were said that stood out to me:

"We as professionals in the early childhood field have the opportunity to shap a child's life for the better"    ~ Sandy Escobido

"Working with children and parents was like earning a doctorate"  ~ Renatta Cooper

"With a little bit of information...able to then accomplish the tasks of being a parent"  ~ Leticia Lara
"Families need support"  ~ Leticia Lara

Inspiration

Caregiver Tips provided by Janet Gonzalez-Mena in her article
Compassionate roots begin with babies
"Predictability helps build trust and gives the baby a sense of security.

Caregivers at the Pikler Institute slow down and wait for some kind of sign that the child has heard and understands what will happen next before they proceed.

The optimal time for relationship-building is during caregiving activities: those essential activities of daily living that meet infants’ physical needs.

Caregiving becomes the curriculum when done with careful, focused attention in partnership with the child.

Magda Gerber [Infant Secialist] always met aggression in infants and toddlers with gentleness.

Rewarding the victim of aggression with a great deal of attention can result in the child seeking further opportunities to become a victim.

The toddler who causes pain needs reassurance that the adult will be there to stop her next time if she can’t stop herself."

"Caregiving becomes the curriculum when done in the way that Gerber and Pikler taught. Not only does the caregiver meet physical needs, but she takes into consideration emotional, social, and cognitive needs as well. It’s a way of empowering infants and helping them feel significant. All this happens with tenderness and gentleness — compassion!"   ~ Janet Gonzalez-Mena

What an amazing way to view the day to day care of a young person!

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Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President of the Children Defense Fund, is an advocate of children and the importance of early education and quality childcare.  She refers to the thousands of disadvantaged children swept into the criminal justice system as getting caught up in the

Cradle to Prison Pipeline

"We're spending three times more per prisoner than per public school pupil in all of our states. That's the dumbest set of investment priorities I can think of, and we're standing for it." 
                                       ~ Marian Wright Edelman

In an interview with UpFront magazine's Editor-in-Chief Glenn Cook and Senior Editor Lawrence Hardy, Ms. Edelman discussed what schools can do to break the pipeline:

"The most important thing is to have students be able to read and compute and stay at grade level.  When we looked at teen pregnancy a number of years ago, the two largest predictors of who was going to become a teen mother - and I would also say, a juvenile delinquent- were basic skills level and poverty.  If you held those two variables constant, you had identical rates between white, black and Latino children."