Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Violence:

Growing up as a child. I stayed fighting in order to defend myself because people use to underestimate my size and height.. There are a many of violent moments that I can remember as childhood memories, but I am going to tell you about the most memorable one that comes to mind. Well my siblings and I use to live in these hood or ratchet apartments named Holiday Apartments which was for people who was on Section 8 in which these apartments still exist until now. Every time we went outside there would end up being a fight because the kids were extreme messy. On this particular day, this girl had been picking at me by calling me names and talking about my mother, so when we came outside to play and she was already picking at me, but I ignored her and continue to play. Later on, we got into an argument and when we finish arguing she left and I started back playing. My back was turned and all I felt was something very HOT heat to my back and all I can remember is hollering. By then my mother had come from nowhere and she took me to the hospital and the doctor gave my mom some cream and a technical shot for me. I had to stay in the house until my burned mark had healed. Whatever my mom did to my burned healed up very well because even if today I showed someone there is not a scar there. My mother told me that she had so much hatred towards the girl's mother and her that it was eating inside her like cancer that she even stop speaking to them., then one day my said that she fell down on her knees and prayed that God will help her forgive them because God forgave her for her wrong doing and that is how she forgave them. Not long after that the apartment that we lived in had caught on fire and my mother went upstairs and got us and put her kids in her 1957 car and then went back upstairs through all that smoke and knocked on her neighbors door and told them get out it is a fire. She grab two house coats and went down stairs to where the girl had burned me with a straighten comb and gave them the coats to help them get out the fire. My mother end up saving their lives and everyone came out the fire safe. It was not long after that we end up moving. THE END


AFGHANISTAN: Domestic violence against children widespread - study

KABUL, 26 February 2008 (IRIN) - Corporal punishment of children by their parents is widely practiced across Afghanistan and is commonly accepted as a form of discipline, says a new study by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), a Kabul-based think-tank. 

“Violence towards children in the family is accepted as a normal part of parent-child relationships with little social judgment made toward the perpetrators,” says the study based on interviews conducted in Bamyan, Herat, Kabul and Nangarhar provinces. 

The report, Love, Fear and Discipline: Everyday Violence toward Children in Afghan Families, said many Afghan families perceived corporal punishment as a good way to bring up their children. 

Some parents lashed out at their children due to stress, frustration and economic insecurity, it said. 

“Slapping, ear-pulling, verbal abuse, kicking, punching, beating with sticks or electricity cables or shoes,” are the most commonly practiced forms of domestic violence directed against children, says the study released on 24 February in Kabul. 

Awareness raising 

AREU’s findings also indicate that many parents recognized the physical and psychological harm caused by violence to children and that corporal punishment was not always the best way to discipline their children. 

Some parents have said they were keen to adopt non-violent ways of bringing up their children, but they “have very little knowledge” about it.

“Any programmer working to tackle violence toward children must first recognize that there is a general awareness in the communities of the negative consequences of violence to children… sensitization campaigns should therefore focus on informing people about alternative parenting skills,” the study recommends.

Afghanistan's Ministry of Education (MoE) welcomed the study and said its findings would help the government and other non-government organisations tackle domestic violence against children through different programmers.

"We will establish an independent educational TV channel in the near future through which we will boost public awareness about the negative impacts of violence towards children and the effectiveness of non-violent behaviour with them," said Safiullah Zeer, director of Educational Radio and TV at the MoE, in Kabul.

Child labour 

The AREU study also said that besides being exposed to domestic violence, some children had been taken out of school in order to work full-time and support their families. 

“Significant numbers of families find survival difficult without the contributions of children’s labour,” the study found. 

The study said both male and female children had paid and unpaid responsibilities at home and outside. 

Female children mostly undertake domestic work such as sweeping, washing and cooking, both to assist their mothers and as training for their future roles as wives and mothers, it said. 

Boys typically engaged in outside activities such as collecting water or wood, running errands or taking care of animals. 

Child Development and Public Health

Breastfeeding is meaningful to me because it has all the nutrients and and vitamins that a baby needs. It helps with their mental and physical growth along with providing antibodies to protect the baby from allergies and illnesses when the child gets older. Breastfeeding is convenient, free, and always available. Some advantages of breastfeeding are: the mother do not have to go to the store to purchase milk, she do not to fix a bottle, except when she is expressing the milk for storage, and the mother do not have to worry about the baby being gases. A downfall to breastfeeding is if the mother has HIV/AIDS, it can be passed through the milk.


Breastfeeding, Culture, and Attachment
In countries all over the world women adapt their feeding practices to their own circumstances and the environment they live in. Women adapt to their infant’s needs, and infants adapt to their mothers’ availability. It is important to note that in every culture, there are circumstances where a mother cannot breastfeed, and also, mothers who choose not to breastfeed for multiple reasons (Small 1998).

Cultural tradition influences:

• Initiation of breastfeeding

Initiation and continuation of breastfeeding is influenced by a complex interplay of culture, social support, and socioeconomic status (Agnew et al. 1997). In most countries, where breastfeeding is widely practiced, a mother begins to breastfeed right after birth. Until recently, this was discouraged in Western hospitals by separating mothers from their newborns soon after birth for long periods. This practice had a very negative effect on successful breastfeeding as the infant’s sucking reflex is strongest within the first 30 minutes after birth. It is instinctively and biologically triggered and if interrupted during the critical 30 minute period, the whole process of breastfeeding and its associated attachment benefits, can be disrupted (Small 1998).

For many cultural groups in Canada, breastfeeding is widely practiced in their countries of origin, but when they come to Canada, they often change from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding  The perception of immigrant and refugee women is largely that formula feeding is the dominant and preferred form of infant feeding in Canada (Agnew et al. 1997). Even for those who want to continue breastfeeding, many find it difficult with the lack of family support, the lack of support for breastfeeding in the workplace, and the lack of
acceptance of breastfeeding in public. There are also immigrant and refugee women who feel so strongly about the benefits of breastfeeding that they insist on it and find ways to incorporate it into their lives despite the lack of support in the workplace and in society as a whole.

•  Frequency of breastfeeding

Long intervals between timed feedings, a lack of night feeding, and supplementation of mother’s milk with other species’ milk or artificial milk, is a recent pattern practiced primarily in the West. In many non-Western countries, mothers feed on cue (in short intervals all day and night), and do not supplement their milk with any other type of milk (Small 1998). This difference is based on different beliefs regarding a child’s needs. In
the West it is generally believed that children need to learn to be independent almost from the time of birth. In non-Western countries it is generally believed that children are naturally dependent in their early years; that children need responsive relationships with family member.

• Duration and termination of breastfeeding

Cross-cultural data shows that it is only in the West that infants are weaned before one year of age. For 99 percent of human history, breast milk was the primary or sole food until two years of age, and nursing continued for several more years (Small 1998). This difference between Western and non-Western countries is also based on the difference in belief regarding infants’ need to learn independence versus their need for
responsive relationships. In all cultures, weaning involves the introduction of solid food, and the gradual or abrupt cessation of mother’s milk. The timing of weaning is influenced by cultural factors. Most non-Western cultures believe that children need to be breastfed until they are at least one year old. Weaning before this time is usually based on other factors. Some cultures have a taboo against nursing during pregnancy. So, if a mother becomes pregnant again, she will stop nursing. Some cultures have a taboo against sex during nursing, so a mother may wean her child to enable her to resume sexual relations (Small 1998).

In the West, early weaning is encouraged because it is seen as a sign of infant development - it is culturally frowned upon for a walking toddler to be breastfed. Early weaning also enables a woman to return to work earlier in an environment where there is limited support for breastfeeding in the workplace.

•  Acceptability of breastfeeding in public

In North America and Western Europe, breastfeeding in public is not generally accepted. Even if women are determined to breastfeed, they are often uncomfortable exposing their breasts in public because breasts are culturally associated with sex. In many other countries, breasts are seen as functional, so it is not immodest for them to be uncovered. It is very natural to breastfeed in public and women are very comfortable doing so. Some cultures may have a taboo against women breastfeeding in the company of men.

• Family and community support for breastfeeding

Many cultures (Africa, South Asia, Latin America) have a 30-40 day postpartum rest periods for new mothers, where family (immediate and extended) as well as community members step in to help mother with other household tasks so that she can focus on feeding and caring for the new baby. Culture also influences other factors, which in turn affect breastfeeding:

• How often a child will be held or carried and how a child will be carried

In North America, and Europe, many people believe that children can be spoiled by being carried too much. In many countries outside of North America, mothers and other family members carry children in some form of sling for much of the day. This enables mothers to respond quickly to a child’s cues that she needs to be fed.

• How a child and mother will be clothed

In North America, women’s clothing is usually not very conducive to breastfeeding. In many countries outside of North America, mothers are dressed in loose fitting clothes that are easily adjusted to allow breastfeeding to take place.

• How a family will sleep (together or apart).

In many countries outside of North America, children sleep with their parents, in the same bed, or at least in the same room. This enables mothers to breastfeed numerous times during the night, in response to her child’s cues.

This information that I have learned will impact my future work because regardless of what the economy is, it is a low cost nutrient for your child that gives future benefits to the child's health. Now I am able to give information on breastfeeding because I have did the research just in case someone did ask me about it. It is possible that if I have a baby then I may breastfeed because I see that the baby is healthier and rarely sick. I know this because my sister breast fed all five of her children and they are very healthy.

Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

My Personal Birthing Experience:

I remember this experience as though it was yesterday. My sister was pregnant with my nephew and she called to tell us that her water had broken and she was heading to the hospital, so we told her okay that we will be out there. By the time we made it to the hospital we thought that she had the baby, but come to find out she didn't. My family and I was sitting around the room and joking around waiting for the baby to come. Well my sister was waiting for the nurse to give her something for pain and she told us that it feel like the baby is trying to come, so one of us hurry to go get the nurse. By the time the nurse came into the room she was checking my sister to see if the baby was coming and then the nurse said I see the baby trying to come call the doctor, but by that time the doctor was already coming down the hall because we heard his boots clacking and we knew it was him from the sound of it because he always wear boots. By the time he enter the room he told my sister to push because the baby head is coming and we were all excited and hollering push because he have a big ole head like his daddy. Finally the baby came and we seen all that slime and blood on the baby and then the daddy cut the umbilical cord. The End...I chose this example because it is special to me because I have never seen a birthing in real life until my sister had my nephew which was her last child. It was exciting to see him come into the world. My thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development is that if the baby's oxygen level is low, then it can cause brain damage. The umbilical cord is nutrient to the baby and without it the baby will not survive or be malnourished.  

Birthing in South Africa: Indigenous Traditions

I learned that it's a pity that western women are afraid of birth. Today, in South Africa, it is a country of many cultures, language, and traditions, but at one point the area was populated only by an original group of indigenous people such as the Khoisan Bushmen and the !Kung who are a small group of San Bushmen. Men are hunters that is highly respected for their hunting and tracking skills along with their knowledge of the nature environment. Women are gatherers of roots, wild vegetables, fruits, berries and water as well as the materials that are used to provide shelter. Women are respected for their knowledge about edible plants and their abilities to find water and their ability to give birth and nurture their young. Now I am about to explain the differences and similarities. The U.S vs. South African, San Bushmen, Batu, Khoisan

Differences                                                                                                           
1. San Bushmen(!Kung)- 1. No Pain Relief. 2. Give birth alone in a squatting position a hundred meters from their settlement. 3. Pregnant women is expected to continue with her normal duties and should not complain.
4. Pregnant women are rarely over-weighed and an unborn will likely to be the right size for the mother to give birth. 5. San women bite the cord with their teeth and bury the placenta after giving birth, before walking back to the settlement. 6. She must return the placenta which is no longer needed to mother earth. 7. The Bantu mothers is secluded in her, but after birth with the baby until she stops bleeding and the burial of the placenta cord. 8. When the cord falls off, the newborn belongs to the mother and the community. 9. Traditionally an animal is slaughtered as a sacrifice and the skin of the animal is given to the new infant as protective clothing or sleeping mat. 10. A Khoisan woman knows when the baby needs to urinate or pass stool and will hold the baby away from her body to perform.

Similarities
1. The child is a gift. 2. Social recognition. 3. The Bantu birth was attended by grandmother or older woman/person. 4. Breast-feeding- Milk is nutrient for growth. 5. Baby learns that he is able to toddle, walk, and later on run. 6. Children brings joy. 7. Cooperation and friendliness are highly valued.
                                                                              

A Note of Thanks and Support

TO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES:

Thanks for supporting me with your wonderful ideas and positive feedback on the blogs and the discussion group. I really did enjoy the social networking and learning about my colleagues professional life, experiences, interests, challenges, dreams, goals and aspirations. I hope that I have supported all of you by giving advice on my personal life so that it would help someone or motivate them to have passion for whatever goal(s) that they are trying to achieve. I wish success and nothing but the BEST for my colleagues as they continue on their proessional path.