Consequences of War

Consequences of the Vietnam War:

My father served in the Vietnam War, and when he returned home, he became a disabled veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress, and lost capabilities of using his left hand/arm.  My family and I suffered from emotional abuse and some aspects of physical abuse, because my father continued to suffer from the effects of the war.  Still to this day, my husband calls me “the mother hen.”  I over-analyze, worry, protect, avoid confrontation, and often too helpful.  I was the oldest of three children, and felt it was my duty to protect my brothers whether it was keeping them occupied and out of harm’s way, lying to avoid conflict or making a snack to eat.  I feel that my parents could not emotionally support us, because they weren’t emotionally stable themselves.  My parents’ views on discipline, how to show affection, and beliefs in raising children were too different, and this also led to stress within the household.  The climate in our household was constantly in turmoil because we never knew what mood my father would be in, and how we were to act or behave.

In my situation, my parents didn’t seek help from outside resources, therefore, we became isolated and pretended we were all fine.  In the inside, I was burning from anger, fear, and sadness because I felt I had no one to confide in or talk to.  Maybe my parents believed if they asked for help, depend on someone else, or admitted their faults, they failed as parents.  Because my parents did not find ways to attach or bond emotionally, I feel that this has affected my friendships as well.  To this day, it is very hard for me to find and make true friends because I often hesitate to open myself.  Therefore, in creating relationships, this impacted my psychosocial development in not having the emotional support from loved ones around me, because we were all afraid to communicate our feelings.  School was also hard for me, and I struggled to make it through.  My parents came from a family with low education; therefore, they didn’t know how to help.  Within the biosocial domain, we always had food on hand.  My mother worked hard in the garden to provide us with fresh vegetables, fruits, and also canned them to eat over the winter. 

So, what does Vietnam look like today?  What do Vietnamese children face from day to day?  Children continue to be one of the most vulnerable groups of the Vietnamese society today.  Child labor has decreased from 4 million of full time employed children in 1992-93 to 1.6 million in 1997-98, however the number of children in migrant households and street children still remain at about 1.5 million (Gallina & Masina, 2002).  Many abandoned children continue to roam the streets, and children as young as 6 years old go to work.  UNICEF continues to work hard in decreasing children labor, and reinforcing education.  However, most children who attend school are those who have money.   

References:

Gallina, A., & Masina, P. (2002). Street Children in Vietnam an Inquiry into the Roots of     

     Poverty and Survival Livelihood Strageties.  Retrieved from

             http://scholar.google.de/scholarstart=10&q=vietnam+and+children+today&hl=de&as_sdt=0,5