Resilience

Childrearing practices in the Cherokee people are expected of all members of the family. The Grandmother is usually looked to for advice and many times makes all the decisions in the family. There is a respect in their culture for their elders, they are looked upon as having a great wealth of knowledge. The tribe has authority over the people and things that happened within the Quala boundary. In their history the entire family lived within the same household including several generations under the same roof. This is still practiced today is some ways. Many mothers are young so they are still living with their mother who then becomes responsible for the grandchild as well. I heard of many grandparents taking care of their grandchildren when the parents were unable to do so.

At the hospital I saw two sisters come in, one of the sisters was having a pain in her shoulder. I noticed the other sister spoke and told the doctor about her sister’s pain and even describing how she was reacting to the pain and telling the doctor what she was doing to manage. The actual patient said very little to the doctor. Both patient and sister were treated equally and the doctor took all the information into account while providing care. He addressed them both and explained the treatment plan so they would both understand. This demonstrated the physicians desire to respect the culture and view both women as being viable sources of information. It was a noticeable difference from how I am accustomed to care back home.

            Resilience in families is essential to proper development. The family unit functions together and the ability to respond to stress and trauma are essential to child development. There will always be obstacles to overcome and teaching a child these skills are lifelong. A child needs to be protected and cared for to help it feel safe. When these basic needs are not met the child is affected and will have trouble coping with stressors as they get older. Not having coping mechanisms as an adult can lead to poor choices and decisions in one’s life.

             Things such as nutrition, shelter, living in a safe and nurturing environment will affect the ability for a child to be resilient and capable of dealing with life’s stressors. As parents or members of a community it is important to intervene in children’s lives that are not having their needs met. This is why it is essential to have agencies in place in the community such as Child Protective Services. The sooner a child is removed from a neglectful or abusive home the better because it will give the child a chance to recover and be placed in a more suitable environment.

            Children must be protected they are a vulnerable population and they need the support to grow into a health adult that will be able to cope with adulthood and the challenges that come with. If not as the child grows up it is likely they will have difficulties in school or finding employment. Or turn to other means of coping like drugs and alcohol. This is something we have learned about in the Cherokee people. Many of the youth that were raised by parents who grew up in boarding school were never provided with loving care or a nurturing environment and this has led to repent drug and alcohol abuse. Poor spending and lifestyle choices. These children are then unable to provide nurturing care for their own children causing the cycle to continue.  Strides are being made in the community to change this with free prenatal care, behavioral health services to help with treatment of drugs and alcohol. Then they are taught coping skills and ways to avoid use of elicit substances when life gets tough. Resilience is an essential skill for every human being and necessary to navigate life.