Childhood Stressors

I am so thankful that I can say that I never experienced any major stressors during my childhood, or know anyone who has.  That being said, I do remember as a teenager thinking my life was so stressfull and feeling like I lived in poverty because my parents couldn't afford $49 jeans from the GAP (and now those same jeans are $69).  It wasn't until I grew up, got married and had kids that I realized I had a good life and parents have to balance money to put food on the table...which means there are little to no extra funds for things like that.  Now that I have three kids, I can appreciate a bag of hand-me-down clothes a co-worker gives me for my daughter because I know that it saves me a lot of money next fall.  I feel fortunate now to know that I did not live in poverty as a child, and do not live in poverty now (although I still can't afford $69 jeans from the GAP).  I know from working with parents and providers that so many people in my own area live in poverty. 
Looking at other countries, poverty is a common thing, and something people struggle with whether it is generational poverty or a one-time point in someone's life.  Australia is a country that is not generally thought of when I think of countries with a large poverty problem.  However, according to ABC online reporter Emma Rogers (2006), 14.7 percent of children living in Australia live in poverty.  Although that number has decreased over the past year, the research has shown that the largest problem is still homelessness.  Not having adequate housing causes many other issues such as stress, poor nutrition and and lack of supervision of the children.  The stress of livining in poverty in Australia has also led reserchers to connect it to abuse and neglect of children, which causes another set of stressors to live with. 
Rogers (2006) reports that there are several programs available to work with those living in poverty to reduce the amount of stress they feel.  Barnaros Australia is a charity organization that works with families in poverty help avoid abuse and neglect of children.  The Abused Child Trust is another organization that also works with families to avoid or stop violence and neglect to children.  They have seen a direct connection with those families they work with the poverty level. 
I feel very fortunate to live in the United States, where we have a number of government programs and state and local charities and programs to help those living in poverty.  I feel that although our programs are not perfect, they are working on it and are very helpful with some people living in poverty. 
Resource:
Rogers, Emma. (2006). Australia not immune to child poverty.  Retreived from http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/facts/australia.html