Survivors OWN ACEs After Oprah (Day 2)

30 Days of After Oprah (Series & Day 1)

Day 2 / Aha 2

There’s a test for that?

I had no idea that there was something called (adverse childhood experiences (ACEs for short).

ACEs in childhood are like salt water on an engine during a flood – not good for the wiring. The types of things that can be most damaging are:

• abandonment, divorce, the death of a parent
• being homeless, in foster care, in the criminal justice system
• living with bullying, community violence or poverty
• sharing a home with relatives battling addiction, mental illness, each other
• physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
• neglect of all kinds and anything that makes kids unsafe and in danger

These are equal opportunity disruptors of health, happiness, self-worth, and well-being.

The stuff that most of just called life, as kids, can stress and mess with us for a long time.

It’s not just rough time, hard luck or misfortune we outgrow. It turns out not being safe, at home, school, in our skin and communities is threatening and dangerous for kids. 

It’s serious enough that it puts people at risk for early death, disease, and all kinds of physical, emotional, financial and social challenges.

And it’s not only abuse that damages children. Neglect is just as dangerous. It’s neglect as well. I thought being exposed to domestic violence didn’t matter all that much if one was an infant or toddler and didn’t actually remember it anyhow.

I was wrong.

To do your own research, go to the CDC website or ACEs Too High.

To take the ACE test (some say survey or quiz), go here or here. 

Once schooled in the ABC’s of ACEs, every part of my life changed. Here’s a clip from Donna Jackson Nakazawa, science writer, parent, ACEs subject matter expert.

This clip moves me every time because once we understand ACEs we understand the need for “waking up on our own side,” why and how it’s challenging, and essential for our future health and our kids’ future everything.

Recommended Reading: Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology and How You Can Heal, Donna Jackson Nakazawa, The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-term Effects of Childhood Adversity. 

Aha 3 / Aha 4 Preview (tomorrow) How Much DO ACE Scores Matter