Link to an interesting article ...

How Stress is Really Hurting Our Kids by Thomas Roberts of Salon.com

The article includes an interview with an expert on this topic.  The following question/answer struck me as worthy of posting here:

We also live in a modern society with a lot of advantages that humans in previous centuries and thousands of years did not. Children in the Stone Age were exposed to a tremendous amount of trauma on a daily basis. Doesn’t that suggest we should have evolved to deal with this by now?

They experienced stress for certain. Potentially trauma, yes. But the reality was that in place was a family, in place was a tribe, in place was a village that provided the stability and the regular protection of that little nervous system. A child might be traumatized by a saber-tooth tiger or whatever your fantasy is, but the familial system and the extended family were in place to pull that kid in. There was no, “Oh, that’s that person’s kid, I won’t touch them because I might get sued.” That provides some of the pieces of attachment that are so critical to building that little nervous system competently.

My New Year's Resolution:  I resolve to continue to develop and nurture strong, lasting bonds with our tribes (i.e. close friends and family) that help both me and my child feel connected and protected.