Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

I opted to choose my husband's childhood developmental experiences. His developmental experiences as a child have had a profound effect on his entire life. Although the assignment required that only one of the more common stressors be chosen, they are all collectively interrelated. After discussing this assignment with my husband he openly shared his experience from his point of view. He felt that it was extremely difficult to focus on one stressor. His main focal point was on abandoment. He stated that within the boundaries of his childhood he experienced many stressors. He began by talking about how chaotic his life began from birth. Neither one of his parents wanted the responsibilty of taking care of him. His father was already married and his mother was looking for love/companionship. This situation resulted in him being placed with family members and friends on his mother side. He felt his life was a natural disaster. No love, no affection, no stability, and no attention which lead to isolation. He was being exposed to sexual explortation,illegal drugs, gambling, and gang activity. He told me that until he met me that his life was empty and that he hungered for love, affection and direction. His mother suffered from the disease commonly known today as chronic alcoholism. As a result of her drunken behavior , he was constantly at war with many men that violently had there way with his mother. At the age of eleven he was sent to live with his father. There he met his sister who was two months younger than him, a step brother four years older, and a step mother that did  not want him there. His siblings had no prior knowledge of his existence, how ever they accepted him. His father would constantly tell him to come out of his shell. My husband said he felt like a tortoise and frequently retreated inside his shell to avoid the noise and maltreatment inflicted by his step mother. He had an aunt who lived in the area and she loved him dearly. When he visited her and she hugged him he would take her hugs home with him and used them when he needed affection. To cope he would bite his nails, eat until he became stuffed. His chaotic childhood led to low self esteem, no ambition, worthlesness, obesity, high blood pressure and finally kidney failure. At the age of 59 my husband began to actively and openly ask god to help rid him of his childhood memories and his unforgiving nature. Believe it or not my husband has finally found peace in his life.

                                                            
                                                                 India and Children's stressor

Many children in india are called street children. They truly live on the street. These children are repeatedly exposed to maltreatment ranging from child labor, child trafficking, sexual explortation and many other forms of violence and abuse. Many of the street children in metro cities in india fall victim to substance abuse. The drug of choice is what we call correction fluid. More than half the children on the street are illiterate. Most of the street children in big cities belong to migrant families from small places. The families are hoping to find employment. Child right activist have censured the indian goverment for its lax policies regarding neglected children including the national policy on child labour. They said the government has failed to do enough to stop the growing epidemic of homeless children. Some of the children were interviewed and they stated the reason we use drug including correction fluid, shoe polish, tobacco and whitener is because it help us with the stress of living on the street. It numbs us and helps us relieve tension.

Reference

PressTV. (7/19/2013). Nearly all street children in India face abuse, study shows. Retrieved From http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/07/19/314515/study-india-street-kids-face-abuse.

EBSCO Host Industries.(2013) Substance abuse among street children in Mumbai. Retrieved From http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail?sid=522508.