Stress's in Early Childhood and how they affect growth and development

Poverty is the stressor I chose to expand on further. My mother who is now in her 70’s grew up in North Georgia in a poor community. Her mother was an alcoholic and her father was a boot legger. Neither one of her parents worked a regular job for very long therefore the children went without during the most important stages of development. Her and her brother would forage for food; she even ate dirt when she was really hungry. Due to the poverty she has experienced hunger, racism, violence, and isolation.

As a small child she thought this was normal so her self-identity was not affected until she had to go to school and she was exposed to people who were not in poverty. That was when she realized she was not the same as other children. She was constantly in the fight or flight stage if she was around her mother so she chose to spend most of her waking hours outside.

She never received dental care so her teeth were very bad and hurt most of the time. At the age of 17 she had all of her remaining teeth pulled and got dentures. She dropped out of school at the age of 12 and got a job working in a truck stop, married my father and entered another alcoholic abusive relationship, but my father worked and she didn’t go hungry so she believed that was the way people were or that she was at fault somehow.

My mother is self-educated. She loves to read and when we were young children she would help us do our homework by teaching herself from our text books. My mother coped with her situation by escaping from reality in nature. At the age of 4 her brother was born so she had something to focus her attention on; helping him thrive and survive. She was his primary caregiver during his formative years and she ensured he received food and protection; even if it required her to put herself at risk.  

The area in our country that I would like to know more about is the Appalachian region of Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) reports on Appalachian statistics such as poverty, income, and employment. According to their 2007-2011 report, poverty rates across the US was 14.3% compared to 16.1% in the Appalachian region of Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Even within these states there is quite a difference between poverty rates. For example, in Virginia the statewide rate is 10.7% versus an 18.1% rate for the Appalachian region. The state with the worst poverty rate in the region is Kentucky with a 24.8% rate versus 18.1% rate for the rest of the state. (http://www.fahe.org/appalachian-poverty/)

The kind of stressors that impact the development of children in this region are the same stressors my mother faced as a child; poverty, isolation, lack of health care, physical abuse and neglect. The federal government and local governmental agencies are trying to combat the effects of these stressors by:

Spreading the Word: Tell your friends, family, and coworkers about Appalachia and Fahe.

 Donating: A donation with Fahe goes a long way. They have worked in Appalachia for over 30 years and they know where to place your money where it will do the most good.

  Investing: You can earn a competitive return and help those less fortunate. They have a 100% repayment track record to ever investor in our history.

Volunteering: Come out and help, meet the people, and let the experience change your life and theirs for the better.

Resources:

Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity – WV http://almostheavenhabitat.org/

Appalachia Service Project (ASP)– TN/KY www.asphome.org

Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency – KY www.bell-whitley.org

Christian Appalachian Project (CAP)– KY www.christianapp.org

Christian Outreach to Appalachian People (COAP)– KY http://www.coap.faithweb.com/organ.html

Clinch-Powell RC&D – TN www.clinchpowell.net

Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Org(HERO) –AL www.herohousing.com

HOMES – KY http://www.homeseky.com/

Housing Development Alliance – KY – http://www.housingdevelopmentalliance.org/

Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority – TN www.kingsporthousing.org

Knoxville Leadership Foundation – TN www.klf.org

People Inc – VA – www.peopleinc.net

People’s Self Help Housing – KY www.pshhinc.org

Religious Coalition for Community Renewal – WV – www.rccr.org

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project – VA – www.sercap.org

Southern Appalachian Labor Schools – WV www.sals.info

Woodlands Development Group – WV www.wdgwv.org