Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The stressor I choose to speak about is Natural Disasters because I have experienced it myself, even though I was not a young children, I remember how it made me feel and how to overcome the experience.  My family had a family summer home up in Maine, near the border of New Hampshire and Maine that they built them selves.  I remember being up there with my grandparents before the new school year began, sitting at the kitchen table playing a game of cribbage while listening to the radio.  The weather was sunny and warm and during the game the weather outside changed.  The wind began to pick up and it started down pouring with the unexpected hail that came with this storm.  As my family began to get up and close the open windows and doors, I began to scream at what I was seeing along with my grandfather.  A large tree was picked up by an invisible force with the roots attached, the tree spun around, and with gentle ease placed on the forest floor without a loud sound coming from the drop.  Once this moment happened the storm had ended and we explored to see what damage was done.  There were 6 large fallen trees along the driveway and around the summer home along the forest line of trees.  The summer home, swing set, car, and other items were untouched by this storm that was later discovered to have been a micro-burst storm.  I have need had an experience like this in my life until that moment the storm came rolling in.  I felt that it made me more aware of my surroundings when a storm comes rolling in and what to expect can happen within a severe storm I experienced with my grandparents.  I am not afraid of severe storms, I am now on edge at what the final results of the storm will have and if it will be like the storm in Maine.  I do make sure that windows and doors are closed and locked when a severe storm rolls in because of the many trees that fall and got broken during the storm.

I choose to explore how many Japanese families deal with natural disasters and how it effects children's development.  I choose Japan because of my training in the martial arts that derived from Japan.  Japan had an earthquake and tsunami that devastated their country that effects the recovery of economic stability and the effects on each and every person who experienced this natural disaster.  Children in Japan who have experienced  traumatic natural disaster, researchers are able to altruistic and empathetic tendencies emerge. about 12 students are trying to support other children by an event called "Rebuilding Communities Together with Children," that highlighted the importance of children's voices to be hear regrading the experience and to help prepare future disasters.  When rebuilding its important to include the children in the process because it effects their development.  By listening and supporting children to express their feelings about the disaster because it effects them with detrimental impact on their long-term development.  Children are the future and they react in a similar fashion as adults do though their development plays a role in how much a child understands through major milestones in their life.  They created special conferences and meetings where children were able to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about the disaster and insights of preventing future disasters.

References:

http://unicefeapro.blogspot.com/2014/04/in-japan-children-help-prepare-for.html