Save Our Children

 

We live in a world where children are considered property. Something we own. Not something we love and cherish, but something we can do with as we please. Of course, there are still a few small instances left in which parents look at the people they’ve created with love and excitement, however, that number appears to be dwindling by the second. Not the days or even hours anymore. The second. The days of sitting up late and waiting for your teenagers to sneak in the door is behind us. The young moms who stand and watch their babies sleep at night is far and few between. Replacing that is a whole new mindset.

“I brought you into this world, I can take you out.” These are the word of Bill Cosby, said with humor and all the love in the world. I heard them often as a child. They were never said with menace. No one ever threaten to truly harm me as a child. Today’s children will never understand because just as Cosby’s name sours, so has the American family home.

Children today do not stand a chance. They live in homes riddled with drugs and abuse. With parents that either don’t care for them or don’t want to. Our youth experiences more trauma at the hands of the people who are supposed to care them than soldiers will see at war. They are battered, abused, neglected, ostracized…

When David Meltzer came forward with his story, the world was appalled. We saw his published story as rare case of a mother gone mad. What the world refuses to see is that his life is becoming more the norm every day.

I never claimed to be a perfect parent. Some days, I don’t even claim to be a good mom, but I love my children – the ones I’ve birthed, taken in, or teach in my classroom. They are not belongings that can be taken advantage of. Children are individuals that are meant to be nurtured and grown. They need love and guidance. My home is a place where children of all walks of life can come to get what they need whether that be a warm meal, a clean bed or a hug.

My children know that I am there safe place. Their friends see the promise in that and their broken hearts migrate to my dinner table. Sometimes, they stick around for a while...