Violence (Domestic)

I grew up in a home, with my mom, step dad, and my older sister. I always felt scared and I never knew why. My step dad would drink liquor and get so drunk. He would walk back and forth, all night, and this would frighten me. He would hit my mother for no reason or maybe because he was intoxicated. I really never knew why he would do this. Me and my sister would try to interfere, but she would tell us to go to bed. One night he hit my mom in the head with a ashtray, blood was dripping everywhere. When we saw her crying and her head bleeding, we got real angry. We wanted to call the police, but she would tell us to go back to bed. For some reason, she always got mad at us when we tried to help her. I never understood the relationship that my mother had with this man. He was extremely scary and I had to live each day in fear.  I never knew why she stayed with him for 16 years. This man was overprotected, possessive, bitter, jealous, and mean. Violence is everywhere. I teach my children to treat people the way they would want to be treated.

In Jamaica, there is a lot of violence, because of the poverty level. People turn over rice trucks, just to get the rice, because some people can't afford to buy it. I went to Jamaica years ago, when P.J. Patterson was the prime minister. This man kept up with a lot of negativity and it caused a lot of riots and violence in Jamaica. This riot went on for days, because he wanted to raise the gas prices and this would cause a lot of problems for people. The children in Jamaica either walk to school or ride in a taxi. If, Patterson would have raised the gas prices than this would interfere in how the children get to school, etc.

Violence can occur from different situations, such as poverty, economic issues, people, money, etc. We must learn to pull together and find ways to stop the violence. 

Week 2 Blog Assignment: IMMUNIZATION

Immunizations, for children, is very important. Children should and must have their immunizations up-to-date, before they enter the school system. immunizations is one of the ways of preventing diseases from spreading throughout the day cares and schools. Vaccines can help prevent  such  as measles and polio. These diseases can cause lifelong complications and death. The measles can cause a person to become blind or visually impaired. Hepatitis B and HPV can cause cancer. During pregnancies it is important to be tested for immunity. If a pregnant mother causes rubella, during her 1st trimester, her unborn child is at risk of being born with hearing problems and blindness. Children need to be vaccinated to help lessen the risk of other children catching any of the diseases. We can help stop the spread of diseases, that require vaccinations, by keeping our children shots up-to-date. The importance of getting vaccines, isn't just for school purposes, it is also for traveling. In certain countries, such as the Bahamas, children over the age of 1 years old must get all routine vaccines, including Typhoid, 2 to 4 weeks before entering the country.

Jamaica has the same vaccines as the U.S. It is mandatory for students entering school, for the first time, to have documents verifying that they have been immunized against whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, measles, polio, and tuberculosis, before admission is approved. U.S. Mission Children are exempt from the tuberculosis vaccine. Measles (% of children ages 12-23 months), in Jamaica was last reported at 88.00 in 2010, according to a World Bank report released in 2011. Rabies, yellow fever, and malaria are not present in Jamaica, but mosquitos do transmit the dengue fever.

The information was beneficial to me and understanding. Schools and parents need to make sure that the children are vaccinated. When I open my day care and learning center, this will be a very important issue for me. If your child or children do not have the recommended vaccines, they will not be able to enroll in my day care, until they have done so. There shouldn't be any exemptions from children getting vaccines, this should be mandatory throughout the U.S. and other countries.



References: ediplomat retrieved from: http://www.ediplomat.com/np/post_reports/pr_jm.htm

Week 1 Blog assignment

I had my first child at an early age. I contiued to go to school and I graduated from high school. My birthing experience was very scary, because it was my first child and I was young. I had very little support from my mother. When I first got pregnant I didn't really know I was pregnant. My mother was always working so we never really talk that much. I felt alone, during my preganacy. My childs father was still in the picture, but that was when I was pregant. When I had my daughter, he was there, btu after four months he disappeared, from her life. He wasn't very supportive. I would be so tired from going to school and then coming home to take care of my daughter. She would keep me up at night, because she either wanted to play or she was crying. I had very little complications when I was giving birth. I didn't stay in labor long, becasue when I arrived at the hospital I was already 5cm. Having my daughter wasn't the difficult part, it was rasing her. I was a mother with no help from the baby's father. I had very little support from my family, but I did the best I could do and we survived. My daughter, despite the environment she grew up in or the situation she is a very educated and dependable person. I was told that I wouldn't finish school, because I had a baby. I didn't let what people said about  or to me, get me down. I continued to have a positive attitude. I have proven people wrong, because I have two degrees and I am now obtaining my third degree. I don't regret having my child at an early age, because I believe that everything happens for a reason, and sometimes we may not know what that reason may be.

In Kingston, Jamaica there birthing experience is different from the American culture. They use to be limited on epidural medication, but it is available for the mothers in Jamaica. In the labor rooms mothers give birth together. They support one another during child birth. When they start to deliver they are placed in a room with another mother who is giving birth. The mothers give birth as a community, by guiding and supporting each other, not being concerned about privacy. This is different from the American culture, because we are put in a room by ourself to deliver our children. The Jamaican culture loves the value of being able to give birth as a community experience.