Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressors I have chosen is not listed above, but it is prominent in the lives of many children everywhere across the world. I decided to discuss abuse and neglect because, I see it almost every day while at work, in a store, or an event; there is always one child who does not look like he or she is getting all of the things they need in life. When I was growing up, I did not see too many issues that were an epidemic in my neighborhood. As I got older, I began to notice many things that I had not seen before. I have a niece and a nephew who were neglected as children. They were about one and two years of age when their mother and father left the in a house for several days by themselves. Both parents were on drugs and they left two innocent children alone without anyone to care for them. Someone heard their cries and located the nearest relative to come get the children from the house. The children did not seem to have any visible scars from the situation, but as they grew, we began to notice their behavior. My niece seems to be unaware of the things going on around her, and my nephew thinks he knows everything there is to know about the great big world. Sadly speaking, they are both products of drug abusing parents, and both of them were subject to it prior, during, and after birth. Both of them are socially awkward, cognitively, they are not functioning, as they should, but physically, they appear to be fine. Even though they do not have any physical defects, there are many internal flaws. They grew up wondering where their mother and father were, and thought that no one loved or cared for them. According to Berger (2012), children need loving parents and caregivers to respond to their needs, this makes the child feel safe. These children did not feel safe because, they were adopted and raised by someone they did not know, that was a stressor within itself. Many years after the children were taken from their home, their father reappeared in their lives trying to take them from the place they knew as their home. After many attempts, their father was granted visitation rights. He acted as if he wanted the responsibility of caring for them, but soon the children found out the truth. When their father was finally given permission to take them, he said that he does not have time for them; he is on a journey. Now, the two children have been neglected once again by their father; and neither one of them has seen their mother since they were infants. It is sad to see two children who have not had a chance to get to know their biological mother or father; I have seen the hurt in their eyes. At the time they were abandoned, I was too young to do anything about it, I wish I could have had the chance to raise them when they were younger, now they are older teens and they do not have a clue as to how to function in the real world. I continue to talk with them about life and the pursuit of happiness; when they are older, I hope they can find a good path in life and walk there in.

During my research on the above topic, I found an article to show how children in Africa suffer each day due to stressors. I chose to research the effects of war, poverty, abuse, and neglect. I have seen many pictures and several movies related to the effects of the stressors listed above. War is raging all over Africa; some rebels fight because, they dislike the government and because of limited resources in their area. Many of the children have witness their mothers being killed, and their fathers being taken into slavery. Most of the rebel leaders need the strong men to farm the diamond mines in Africa. The girls are killed and the boys are used as child soldiers for the rebel army. Those who ran away before the invasion of the army will not see their family again.

The impact of violence, poverty, abuse, and neglect has a great impact on the overall well-being of the children of Africa. Most of the survivors are hungry and left without a place to live. They are not able to attend school because, they are scattered all over the continent. When the rebels invade, they shoot, kill, and burn down everything in their path. The children, who are taken into captivity to be a soldier, are brain washed into thinking that what they are doing is right (Albertyn ET, al, 2006). Many activist and advocates are fighting for the rights of the land, the people, and the children of Africa. They strive to create a better environment free from war, guns, and poverty. They help build schools for learning, and create safe havens for children to come to eat and rest. They are making great strides, but they will have many more rounds to fight to make the environment livable for so many displaced children.

References

 Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Albertyn, R., Bickler, S. W.,  Millar AJ, Rode, H. (2006). The effects of war on children in Africa. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12720029