Children and Stress

As a child, I grew up living overseas because my father was in the Air Force.  Terrorism was a very real threat in our lives.  Being prepared, knowing what to do and where to go was a part of our reality as children.  We recognized the various siren tones and were able to respond appropriately.  Seeing men in uniform wearing gas masks meant that our dads were on “alert”; drilling so they would be able to respond to a potential attack.  Every day, I witnessed the sacrifices our parents made to ensure the freedoms Americans enjoy.

I lived in England for a great deal of my childhood.  Most people think of England as a relatively peaceful county (and it is most of the time).  I have memories of watching the news and seeing people burn the American flag and an effigy of the president outside the U.S. Embassy during the Iran hostage crisis.  I remember the many IRA bombings in London, one of which happened just a day after I was there.  I remember driving onto a base and having the military police search under our car with mirrors to make sure we didn’t have a car bomb. 

As a child, the threat of terrorism really was my reality.  I do not remember being upset by it and I don’t feel that it negatively impacted my development.  The effect is more evident in my adult life.  I am protective of my children; they have been raised to recognize that the world can be a dangerous place.  They have been taught to respect all people and all cultures but they have also been taught to be wary of people they don’t know.  They know exactly where to go and what to do in the event that there is an emergency of any kind.  They have been taught to be aware of their surroundings and to pay attention to things that seem out of place.  Politics and global issues are frequently discussed at our dinner table.  As a result, I have two incredibly patriotic children who have a healthy respect for the threats in our world.  They do not live in fear, they have been taught to live every day to the fullest!

Children all over the world are exposed to violence and the potential for terrorism.  The Middle Eastern countries are seeing democratic uprisings, dictators are being ousted and people, including children, are losing their lives.  Children in these countries do not have the same privileges many American children have.  In Afghanistan, the Taliban has been known to recruit children as suicide bombers.  Obviously, this is no way for children to live.  According to our readings in the text, the intense stress they are experiencing could easily lead to an over secretion of cortisol.  This in turn causes their brain to produce massive amounts of stress hormone resulting in the child becoming over-vigilant or constantly fearful.  (Berger, 2009).  Help from humanitarian agencies is not always accessible so these children are left to try to survive in extremely violent settings.  The dichotomy is that every country relies on the children for its future but so many are not protecting them!

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.