Noise and Limited Play as Stressors

Noise  and Limited play as stressors

I asked my daughter what was a stressor for her  as a child. She share with me noise was a big one. Being an only child meant it was always quiet in the house. When my daughter was  about thirteen  visiting  family (cousins) especially the  younger ones which  were always running through the house, made her feel anxious. As a teenager she said she would never work with children. She felt they were loud, and had way too much energy.  Today at twenty-two she is a counselor at a recreation center, I’m glad she grew out of the anxiety I think what change her mind was as a college student she needed a job. She thought about how much fun it was( as a teen)  to be a part of  an after school center . She didn’t have to watch anyone,  it was about her and her friends while the counselors  focused  on the children. YET in a home away from home environment  children running up and down the stairs in a house felt annoying to her, or children fighting  over  toys made her feel like a referee . Somehow maturity and needing a job help her grow out of the anxiety. Today she shares many stories each night about how a child makes her laugh.

 

 

From the other end of the spectrum , think about the children from  Koriyama. Because of air pollution/ radiation, they cannot play outside  because of living  close to a nuclear plant.  

 

Child Stress on Rise after Fukushima

March 10, 2014, Monday @ 17:03 in World | Views: 17

 

 

 

Children in Fukushima in 2011. Photo: flickr.com

Some of the children in Koriyama, just a short drive away from Fukushima nuclear plant, barely know how it feels to play outside, as fear of radiation has kept them inside, Voice of Russia reports.

Even though the rigorous safety limits for outdoor activities, set after multiple nuclear explosions took place at Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in 2011, have now been lifted up to a certain degree, parental concerns and deep-seated habits still keep the children indoors for most of the time, Voice of Russia says.

- See more at: http://www.independent.mk/articles/2461/Child+Stress+on+Rise+after+Fukushima#sthash.2avCQold.dpuf

I would think the easiest solution would be to move, but what happens when you simply don’t have the resources.  We all know just how important play, exploration, and certainly being outside is part of a child’s experience of development.  This article was very heart breaking and the impact for change in this situation is very costly.  

Reference;

http://www.independent.mk/articles/2461/Child+Stress+on+Rise+after+Fukushima