Poverty is considered when low-socioeconomic-status families are under a lot of stress to include when you are poor, when it rains it pours. as an adult I have had housing problems, conflict in the family. There's a lot more pressure in paying the bills. I have ended up moving more often. I have learned that there are a lot more demands on low-income families, that produces stress in families, including on the children. As a child, I did not know what poverty was, because my mother never told me that we lived in poverty or that we did not have. There are many diverse and complex factors that may contribute to family poverty, such as unemployment/underemployment, lack of education and family structure, to name a few. Each one of the mentioned factors can bring about economic pressure, which can increase emotional distress and therefore cause family stressors. As an adult I have learned that the individual most harshly affected by poverty are those who are the most powerless to do anything about it--children. Research indicates that extreme poverty in the first five years of life alters a child's chances in life compared to lesser degrees of poverty in later life. This is the result of several key factors. The first problem associated with poverty is poor nutrition. It has been proven that poor nutrition leads to lower intelligence, poor physical development, and diminished immunity to disease. Children deprived of proper nutrition during the brain's most formative years score much lower on tests of vocabulary, reading comprehension, math, and general knowledge. Poverty is an issue that is rising and there seems to be no end in sight.
I have a friend who is from India and I asked about the poverty issue and she responded by saying poverty is all around everyone. She told me that some Indians work under terrible conditions. Risky factory jobs, low income and long hours. To maximize the chance of getting food on the table, many of them will send their young children to work.
Dear Arthurine, You mentioned that you did not know you were poor because your mom never told you. My mom was the same way. Our way of life was what it was. She didn't compare us to others. My mom was one of the most positive people I have ever known. She took horrible situations and turned them around for good. Without her positive attitude, things for me as a child would have been much worse. I always tell my kids to be thankful for what you have. If you look around, you can always find someone who is much worse off than you. I have always tried to model after my mom and maintain a positive outlook on life. Hopefully, I have taught my children the same. After all, it is not possessions that make me happy, but being surrounded by people I love and who love me that matters most.
ReplyDeleteDear Arthurine,
ReplyDeletePoverty comes in many forms and it can lead to emotional problems. It is true that children are the most affected. Though poverty does have a lot of negative things associated with it I believe it can help to teach us what is important in life, our family and friends for example, and to value the little we do have. It can be a great character builder.
Thank-you for sharing your post with us. I continue to learn of the effects of poverty on children, and their families. For parents struggling to raise a child, poverty adds extra stress to the family. With this added stress may come a tendency on the part of parents to be punitive, inconsistent, authoritarian, and generally nonsupportive of their children. The strain of poverty may also promote the use of disciplinary approaches that take less time and effort than approaches such as reasoning and negotiating. Spanking and forms of physical punishment are quick; they may relieve frustration and they don't demand much thinking in the midst of multiple worries and stress. Poverty is correlated many risk factors related to children.
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