War

Fortunately in my life I have not had many struggles. I have witnessed friends and family struggle with many issues. War is an issue that seems to affect so many people today. I had friends that during Desert Storm and the War in Iraq, the husband was deployed. What I witnessed was a wife home trying to raise 2 teenage boys, work full time, pay the bills, and worry about her husband . She was spread too thin and the result was two teenage boys that rebelled. Her life was turned upside down and although the military offers support and help the best support and help that she could have had was her husbands. A family that had been whole was turned upside down. I remember the police being called to her house many times, the oldest boy running away, stealing from her and even becoming violent. Her two young boys needed their father and they needed a mother who was not so stressed. The youngest son seemed to do better and adjust. He did fine with his life but did struggle in his late teens and 20's. The older boy had children while in his teens, was on drugs, drank and eventually moved out. He is a grown man now and a father of 5, not married, can not hold a job and seems to have every excuse as to why. Although these children were not on the front line, there lives were changed due to war.

The Iraq war affected children in Iraq so much more. I read an article that spoke of children playing in the streets pretending to kill people. This is what they were exposed to so this is how they played. Children stopped going to school and many were orphans. The "Association of Iraqi Psychologists urged the international community to help establish child psychology units and mental health programs"( Guardian News, 2007). There is a lack of doctors due to them fleeing the country or being killed. Children have a fear " of kidnapping and explosions"(Guardian News, 2007) Parents reported that the "distress signals sent out by young people in their care from nightmares and bed wetting to with drawl, muteness, panic attacks and violence towards other children sometimes even to their parents"(Guardian News, 2007). Parents of chidren in Iraq have stressors in their life that most of us can only try to imagine. War is devasting to everyone involved, whether indirectly or directly.


     Guardian News-Media. (2007, February 7). 2012. Children of War: The generation traumatised by violence in Iraq. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/feb/06/iraq.topstories3/print

Nutrition and children

Childhood nutrition is a issue across the globe. South Africa has a huge issue of malnutrition.  If children do not have proper food and vitamins they will fail to develop and thrive as healthy human beings.  Unicef is an orginazation that is commited to helping children in the area of malnutrition. "Malnutrition is a major underlying cause of death in 64 percent of children in South Africa"(Unicef). It amazes me that in todays world with the wealth of so many, that children are still dying of malnutrition. Not only are children dying in S. Africa "One in five children is stunted and many are deficent in the vitamins and minrals vital to good health and optimal development" (Unicef). S. Africa has begun to add vitamins and minerals to its flour and sugar to help with the lack of vitamins and minerals. Another issue that they are trying to help with is breastfeeding babies. Unicef is trying to get women to breastfed exclusivley for at least 6 months. With the help of Unicef,  S. Africa will start to solve its problem of malnutrion with children. "Unicef also participated activley in developing a national policy and guidlines on infant and young child feeding which will set standards for communtiy based child nutrition programs" (Unicef). S. Africa is workin on improving their nutrition issues with children. Children need proper nutrition to thrive and develop. This needs to be a world issue not just an issue in S. Africa. All children across the world will one day be our leaders, it we do not provide there essentials, what will happen to us all globally?

Nutrition can affect children in the field of Early Childhood Education in many ways. If children do not get the neccassary vitamins and minerals needed their brains will not develop properly and this will have a lasting effect on them. In the United States the The National School lunch Program serves breakfast and lunch help give the essentials for chidlren to thrive.

"The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day. The program was established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946" (National School Lunch Program).

 This proplem has been around for centurys and needs to be a world issue, not just in the country we live in.


Unicef-   Childhhttp://www.unicef.org/southafrica/survival_devlop_755.html

National School Lunch Act- http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/

Birth of my grandaughter

On Dec 26, 2012 I became a grandmother! This experience was amazing and very scary at the same time. The pregnancy for my daughter was not the normal pregnancy that many women have. My daughter takes anti seizure meds. This caused concern for the baby. She had to see a high risk doctor and they determined that she needed to stay on her meds. Throughout her pregnancy she had to see specialist and have many tests done to make sure that there were no birth defects. This made everyone scared every time she had an appointment. Luckily there were none. But in her 37th week her blood pressure was up and she began to have chest pain. On the day after Christmas she was admitted and a c-section was planned. There was a cardiologist called in, they were worried about her heart. It was determined that it was best for my daughters health to deliver that day. They sent in a neo natal doctor to inform us of the risk of delivering early. It was possible that the babys lungs were not developed enough and she would be in the ICU. Not only was I in fear for my daughters life, I was in fear for the baby. The stress of the delivery could have caused my daughter to have a seizure and this stops oxygen from going to the baby. When they came into the room and took my daughter for surgery, the tears came uncontrollably, I was scared to death. She had a excellent doctor, and in about 25 minutes a perfectly normal baby with no complications was born. She was 6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches. I thanked god for our good fortune!
I read an article about birthing rituals in Jamaica at HTTP://JAMAICA-GLEANOR.COM They give birth at home with a midwife and s nana. There was an open bible in the room and the mothers belly was anointed with caster oil that would later be given to both mother and child. The mother and child have to stay in the house with the nana for 8 days to protect the mother and child from spiritual and physical dangers. The placenta and umbilical cord are buried and a tree is planted where the umbilical cord is. The baby was bathed in cold water that contained rum and a silver coin given by the father, this would also be buried with the placenta and umbilical cord.
What I found interesting is that these rituals are practiced out of firm spiritual beliefs. Many birthing practices are done for this reason. In the US we tend to take the medical approach. Our infant mortality rate is lower. If these mothers have complications the chance of getting proper medical care is scarce. And the survival rate of mothers and babies decreases.

 Since my spiritual beliefs do not interfere with how babies are born, I have a hard time understanding why anyone would risk a complication and not having proper medical care. Comparing them for me is impossible, since you need such a strong spiritual belief to understand their choice.