Blog - First Things First

The Effects of Childhood Trauma

A child's home life plays a huge part.

Of the 76 million children living in the United States, a staggering 60 percent (46 million) of them will experience violence, abuse, crime and psychological trauma before they turn 18. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Justice.Believe it or not, home life plays a huge part in these statistics.

Kindness: The Superpower Everyone Can Use

Being kind has the power to transform every relationship.

“What if you don’t respect or appreciate your spouse?”That’s the question a woman asked social researcher Shaunti Feldhahn after she spoke at a conference on the topic of kindness.Feldhahn encouraged her to take a 30-day Kindness Challenge. The steps are: Say nothing negative about that person – either to them or about them.Each day, find one positive thing to praise or affirm about that person. Then tell them and tell someone else. Each day, do one small …

The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Stress

We can help to create safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for kids.

Many children are exposed to abuse, neglect and family dysfunction which experts often refer to as toxic stress. But why can some kids who encounter toxic stress move beyond it and lead a healthy life while others cannot?That’s the question researchers set out to answer in one of the largest investigations of childhood abuse and neglect and later-life health and well-being. The study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente, is called the Adverse Childhood Experi…