Maurice Stewart had never heard of ACEs before he came across a YouTube video explaining the term.
Once he understood it, though, he realized he had lived it.
The acronym stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, and it refers to traumatic events that elevate children’s stress over time as well as how children react to that trauma. ACEs can be as severe as physical abuse or as commonplace as parents going through a divorce.
“Living in poverty, having a sibling go to prison, experiencing alcoholism with a family member,” Stewart said. “Those are some of the things that I experienced growing up that's kind of marked me for ACEs.”
Fortunately for Stewart, he had teachers and family members who helped him build the resilience he needed to stay on the right path in life.
“They made me feel important,” he said. “They made me feel like I mattered.”
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