Early childhood stress: a parents’ guide.

When parents stress about the wrong kinds of stress, it distracts us from a real and grave public health issue. But it’s easy to get tangled and confused by media reports about stress hurting preschoolers. Here, then, is a brief guide to the three types of childhood stress responses.

In a positive stress response, the stress hormones (like cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine) are revved up briefly—curdling stomachs, dampening palms, speeding up heartbeats, quickening breaths, setting the brain to high alert—and then return to their normal state. Picture a little kid freaking out when a nurse approaches with a needle or hiding under a table on the first day of nursery school. It may break your heart as a parent to witness your child’s tears, but it isn’t going to create long-lasting damage. A positive stress response is mild to moderate and—importantly—includes the presence of a supportive adult who can help the child manage the stress.

via Early childhood stress: a parents’ guide. - Slate Magazine.