Resilient Children Build Strong Families and Communities

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

On May 17, 2019 I attended a workshop at the City of Tigard, OR public works building, Creating Strong Families and Communities, presented by Dr. Amy Stoeber. She covered Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) known to cause life stress and trauma (e.g., divorce, parental arrest, emotional neglect and abuse, bulling, peer pressure etc.). Children who experience ACE and have no positive, or little adult interaction are at greater risk of depression, drug addiction, obesity, detachment and learning and behavioral disorder(s), etc., with associated ill-health risk.

Ageless MirrorAthlete also covers City Parks and Recreation amenity investments. Learn how Childhood Development has improved through these investments and build sustainable aging in place communities. The book can be purchased through Amazon, B&N, iUniverse and ~1800 other online book stores.

Humans have a long history of fascination with stories about people overcoming great adversity. Through trauma-informed prevention parents learn how to connect emotionally with their children, help them make better choices and become more resilient to environmental toxic stress during the developmental years. Multiple labels have been proposed to identify emotionally hardy kids, such as stress-resistant, successful high-risk kids, and invulnerable. Resilient is the term that stuck. https://positivepsychology.com/resilience-in-children/

Through resilience training, adults learn how to connect emotionally with children to help them normalize behavior, make better choices and achieve social and academic success by setting high expectations. And in some cases these connections are being credited with saving young lives.

How can you help your child cope with daily stress and trauma? 

You can work with a child to help resolve an unhealthy situation before it gets out of control and creates a serious consequence. Make it your parental mission to communicate more with your child and don’t ignore irregular or bad behavior. Behavior is one way children communicate. Also do what you say and say as you do. Young people live up or down to expectations we set for them. They need adults who believe in them unconditionally and hold them to the high expectations of being compassionate, generous, and creative.

Through this communicative process you can also support a child in achieving Ginsberg’s 7 Cs, “The Essential Building Blocks of Childhood Resilience.” Which was also covered in this public training session. They are:

When kids do the right things they feel Competent. 2) Confidence helps kids navigate complex environments in/outside of home turf. 3) A strong connection within a circle of support with other people, schools and communities offer young people security that allows them to stand on their own. 4) A clear sense of right and wrong develops character integrity. 5) Contributions to the well-being of others and community at large feels good. And when in need have learned to ask and accept help from others shame. 6) Those who’ve learned how to use stress coping strategies are less likely to use a quick feel good fix. 7) Control is gained by young people who understand privileges and respect are earned through demonstrated responsibility. http://fosteringresilience.com/7cs.php

Adverse Childhood Education is helping our kids achieve the essential building blocks of resilience. I support the continuation of these types of publically informed prevention education programs because they lead to healthier and productive lifestyles, strong family bonds and safe communities for generations to follow.

Learn more about Ageless MirrorAthlete “Overweight and Unfit No More” book and free Newsletter at www.mirrorathlete.org

Marc Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET., is a former member of the Tigard City Council. He is a strong proponent of City involvement in expanding recreational opportunities for all ages. 2019 Copy right. All rights reserved, MirrorAthlete Inc.

Please follow and like us:
This entry was posted in Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), City Recreation, Health Literacy, Lifestyle, Resilient Kids on by .

About Marc Woodard

As a fit healthy lifestyle author and consultant, retired corporate employee and retired Army officer, I've spent many years taking care of my career goals and financial security. It is now my time to give something back to my community. Without a healthy mind, body and spirit it is really difficult to move forward to achieve great things in life. To share information is something everyone of us are capable of doing. And to share fitness and health related information with your children is the best thing you could do for them and your community. Saving the health of our nation one person at a time is our goal. Learn more about Marc Woodard @ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-woodard-94003930/ Good health to you and your family.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.