One stressor that I can think of about my childhood was poverty. My family was poor not that I knew it at the time. We weren’t as poor as some people are but my parents had to watch what they spent. I never really knew that we were poor. My parents made sure we had what we needed. For most of my early childhood my mother was the only provider, she was an elementary school teacher. My father was laid off from his job. He worked odd jobs to make money. They made sure that we had new clothes for school but back then I never really realized that they weren’t the “label” names that everyone else was wearing. I still never considered us poor because we were rich in love and family. Our family took care of each other and was there when we needed something. I don’t know how my parents really did it but I’m happy that they did. They raised me to understand that money isn’t what it’s all about. You just need enough to survive and be able to provide for your family. I know that my husband and I are a little better off than our parents were but I am still instilling the same values that my parents instilled in me. They know that they are loved and that they get want they need. They also know that sometimes we just can’t get something just because we want something.
In Thailand the one main stressor is something I talked about in my last blog. It is disease that is causes stress on the child. Some of the diseases that are affecting Thailand are HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, and even Polio. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) have been working in Thailand (World Health Organization [WHO], 2010). They have been planning and working systematically on the building of the disease immunity since 1977 in order to lower the illness and deaths due to the diseases that could be prevented by vaccination (WHO, 2010). The last survey of the primary vaccine coverage in 2003 found 95 percent coverage of children less than one year of age, who had received BCG and 3 doses of DPT, Polio and hepatitis B (WHO, 2010). The coverage of pregnant women with TT was 90 percent (WHO, 2010).
World Health Organization [WHO]. (2010) Thailand: National Health System Profile. Retrieved from http://searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Thailand_Thailand_final_031005_WT.pdf
I too was poor as a child but didn't know until I grew up. However I think that many of the children in different countries or even some who do not have as strong and loving families as you and I do know that they are poor. We have much to be thankful for.
ReplyDelete