Children play tag on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at Russian Jack Springs Park in Anchorage. (Loren Holmes / ADN)
By Trevor Storrs, Anchorage Daily News, April 2, 2023
Take a moment and remember a time when you felt safe and allowed to be your true self as a kid.
For me, it was a regular day of name-calling and bullying. It was so typical I almost became immune to it. But one day, it got past my fictional armor, causing a feeling of darkness. My ninth-grade teacher must have seen it on my face, even though I was trying to hide it. She came up to me, smiled, and gave me a hug as she welcomed me into the classroom. I felt the light break through the darkness almost instantly and I knew it was OK.
Like mine, yours probably wasn’t a major event or moment. Yet, it left a mark on my life. These positive experiences often seem small, things that soon might fade from adults’ memories. But they can mean a lot to kids and are often remembered years, or even decades, later. These moments are so foundational that they even combat the negative effects of adversity and toxic stress kids face.
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