Teaching Children to Trust
Intermountain began in 1909
And 900 children nowadays
Are daily helped by them
In a wide variety of ways.
Healthy relationships
Are the focus of the school.
Children learn to love –
Not just to obey each rule.
Children are taught to trust.
Often they’ve been mistreated.
They’ve missed stability;
Nurturing wasn’t meted.
Toxic stress causes many problems
As the child grows and learns.
Often root causes are not addressed.
Stability is what the child yearns.
Substance abuse is a symptom
Of an underlying cause.
Look behind the behavior.
Stop, think, pray, pause.
These are the notes I took as I listened to a message this morning in church from an Intermountain of Helena representative, Kathy Ramirez. She shared some information with us that I found surprising. Among the facts: the brain of a healthy, nurtured, loved three-year-old is 3x larger than the brain of a 3 yr. old who has not had a nurturing, loving environment.
A study recently conducted asked a group of prisoners to acknowledge whether any of these ten items had been a part of their early life:
1. Emotional abuse
2. Physical abuse
3. Sexual abuse
4. Observing abuse of a loved one
5. Substance abuse
6. Mental illness
7. Parental separation
8. Household member in prison
9. Physical neglect
10. Emotional neglect
Kathy revealed that 58% had one to three of them occur in their early life. There were 16% who had experienced four or more of them.
What does this tell us about the effects of trauma and toxic stress in children’s lives? And what can we do about it?
Places like Intermountain in Helena, MT provide safe havens for children. Education, counseling, unconditional love, and safety give children from abusive or neglectful homes a chance to learn to trust again.
Intermountain also provides in-home counseling. It works to help parents learn to live their lives in a way that makes them and their children safe and healthy.
What can we do? Find a place like Intermountain in your community and support their efforts. Every child deserves a safe, loving, healthy start in life.
If you were blessed with such a start, don’t forget to thank your parents. And pass it on!
Comments on: "Teaching Children to Trust" (5)
Thank you, Mom and Dad!!! I had a marvelous childhood full of love and happiness. I’m truly blessed!
Thank you for visiting and responding, DeDe. Thank you for being such a thoughtful, unconditionally loving daughter. We are the ones who are so blessed!!
This year I’m teaching my students this Mayan inspired poem, it’s a part of our daily greetings and it’s amazing the tone it sets for my high schoolers. Thank you for for insight and inspiration always. You were the most incredible role model for me and I strive daily to be that for my chiquititos. Even at the high school level, our kids still need that love & kindness to help them survive & thrive.
IN LAK’ECH
Tú eres mi otro yo.
You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti,
If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mi mismo.
I do harm to myself.
Si te amo y respeto,
If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo.
I love and respect myself.
…where’s the edit button?? For your, not for for:)
That is a beautiful poem, Eva. Thank you for your loving response. Thank you for all you do to positively touch the lives of your students. May you live a long and fruitful life, full of the blessings of students who get back to you years later to let you know you made a difference. What a joy that is!! Thank you. I love you!❤️😘