Like sponges, children soak up the words spoken to them and are keen observers of how adults in their world behave.
If those words are nurturing and supportive, and what they observe is kindness, compassion and respect, they will likely become self-confident, responsible and considerate adults, according to mental health experts.
On the contrary, if a child is constantly belittled, and witnesses parents and other adults who are disrespectful to authorities, they are more likely to develop a poor sense of self, and possibly adopt aggressive behaviors in the future, experts say.
If a child must go to bed hungry, their living conditions are in constant chaos because parents are out of work, in abusive relationships, or emotionally withdrawn, their school performance will likely suffer, experts say.
At a recent Mental Health Awareness Month workshop, area mental health providers who work with children were informed about the impacts of adverse childhood experiences and how those translate to what children grow up to be as adults.
[For more of this story, written by Nanci Hutson, go to http://dcourier.com/main.asp?S...amp;ArticleID=146268]
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