California’s parenting website

When traumatic things happen to us as kids we can develop something doctors call Toxic Stress. It’s where stress builds up and has physical and mental effects on our body. Even worse, it can make it harder to nurture our own kids, sometimes repeating this cycle of trauma. By recognizing what's going on and taking steps to treat toxic stress, you can break the cycle for yourself and for your kids, so they grow up to be successful, healthy and strong.