Children Are Precious So Why Do We Not Protect Them As We Should?

Yesterday's news was horrifying about a little girl dying after being locked in a box overnight for eating a popcicle from the freezer. Her guardian(s) are alleged to be the culprits in this oh-so-sad scenario. When I hear things like this it makes me physically ill. As I watch the world news about babies being abandoned en route in Somalia as their parent(s) walk to escape the famine my heart breaks for those innocent and helpless little ones. The idea of being cruel and abusive to your baby or toddler most likely would never occur to you, and yet it happens. The thought of leaving your newborn or child of any age on the side of a road to die would be something I pray you cannot fathom. And yet these things are happening, and I ask myself again and again what is it going to take to protect the children of the world. Human trafficking, child abuse of all kinds, abandonment, child predators, lack of food and clean water, no health care, and the list of problems in the world goes on and on. One person cannot do everything, but one person can do something. If all the "one persons" decide to do something then perhaps we can end some, if not all of the problems that make life so difficult and at times downright horrible for the precious children of the world. Ask yourself, what can you do? Even with children of our own, we still can reach out to help others. As we experience the present economic crisis in the USA, we probably all know someone who is struggling to care for their child or children. Look around for opportunities to make a difference, and if you see or know of a child suffering abuse of any kind don't stand by and do nothing. Silence is consensus, and little ones have no voices. Will you hear their cries? Will I? I certainly hope so.

Mothers Must Unite To Change The World For Our Children

With the heart-wrenching news about the famine in Somalia come pictures of babies and children starving to death. With the news of terror and deaths happening in Norway, the land of the Nobel Peace Prizes, come photos I never thought I would see. There is no where left in this world to move to in order to keep our children safe, and there is so much anger and lust for power corrupting our leaders and other world leaders that it is time we Mothers said, "Enough!" and meant it! I encourage all parents to pay close attention to every election which affects you and your family. You must do your own research and increase your own knowledge of all the candidates vying for positions as city councilmen, mayors, assemblymen, senators, congressmen and ultimately president/vice president. With the wide-spread, never-ending stream of media coverage and the anonymity of the Internet, you must do your own research because it is no longer possible to believe what you read or hear regardless of the source. Facts are no longer being checked, and journalism has become a bad joke. Personal bias colors every publication and news broadcast, lying and deception have become the norm, and getting your decision-making information from a neighbor or relative is unwise since you have no idea where they obtained the information, whether or not they understand it, or if they are passing it on correctly and fully. If we as mothers do not take a stand right now and stop the chaos, corruption, crime and other huge problems that we are facing, we are dooming our children to a life that won't be worth living. Do we let our children behave badly? Should we allow them to behave badly? Of course, the answer to both of those questions should be "Certainly not!" Then, why oh why are we allowing our country, our states, our cities and towns to be run by grown-ups both men and women who behave badly and who are serving their own personal agendas rather than serving the people who elected them to their respective offices. I am sick to death of the in-fighting, lying, slandering, and distasteful performance of our elected officials all over the country. I am also sick and tired of people masquerading as journalists who do not report the facts so we can form our own conclusions but rather fill the airwaves with bias, untruth, and rudeness in talking over their guests. It is no wonder that children today are accused of having no manners because they are not seeing professional, well-mannered, intelligent, articulate adults speaking and behaving with integrity. They are instead witnessing a nation of adults acting like buffoons, schools that are turning out adults with appalling ignorance, adults lacking respect for anything or anyone! We must start a grassroots effort in our homes, on our streets, in our neighborhoods, in our communities, in our states and in our country to rein in politicians (both men and women), to demand truth in all media, to insist on professionalism and good manners for anyone who holds public office and represents us, and to work to eliminate the hate and vulgarity that fills the Internet because of the cowardice of people and the cloak of anonymity it provides. We are becoming a nation of pigs. Is that why we had children? Do we really want them to grow up behaving like pigs or living in a world run by pigs? I for one do not, and I cannot believe that most mothers want that for their children. Remember that we are the examples our children will emulate, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they have an opportunity to grow up in a peaceful, wholesome environment with lots of positive role models. Then perhaps we will be able to stop wasting so much time fighting and suing over every insignificant thing and spend time insuring that NO children starve to death anywhere in the world. We need to get our priorities in the right order. Your comments both positive and negative are welcome.