I chose the topic "violence".
Violence is taking place all over the world and it is effecting children a great deal. Growing up, I experienced a great deal of violence. Unfortunately, my mother was on drugs and did not make the best decisions when it came to her kids. So you can only imagine what kinds of things I saw at an early age. I do not blame her totally because she was not in her right mind. But as a result of that, my sisters and I experienced some things that made a huge impact on us.
One of my sister's fathers was very abusive to my mom. She would be gone for long periods of time (because she was getting high or looking for drugs I'm sure). So he took it upon himself to look for her in the streets, bring her home, and would beat her (with a belt) as if she was a disobedient child. At the time, I was helpless. All I could hear was her screaming from the bedroom. The door was closed but it did not make a difference. It hurt me to hear her scream like that...
That same man was a child molestor. I found that out the hard way. He was the second man (in fact I think he was the third man) to do something like that to me. It happened to me at ages 3 (I remember vaguely), 5 and 7. I didn't tell a soul about what happened until I was about 9 yrs old, that's when it really hit me.
My sisters and I moved with my grandmother and I felt more safe there. Although some crazy things took place at my grandmother's house, that was the place I felt the most comfortable. I coped with my issues by simply not thinking about them, but focused on helping my grandmother with my sisters and making sure I did good in school. I would have to say that I was a strong kid. I didn't care about getting revenge on the men who did those things to me. I was just happy to be out of that situation until I was about 9 yrs old of course, then I opened up and told my family everything.
I want to talk about children who suffer from hunger in somalia. This has been going on for a long time. Children who suffer from hunger are effected in so many ways. Lack of food causes malnutrition. Malnutrition causes other things to go wrong in the body. If a child does not get the proper nutrition, he/she will experience some challenges during development. I know as an adult, it is hard for me to function if I do not eat enough so I can only imagine how that is on a daily basis for a child. It slows down everything biosocially, cognitively and psychosocially. Children who suffer from hunger don't have much energy to play, learn or energy to perform daily tasks.
But there are organizations out there that are working on fixing this problem. Organizations such as CARE, Mercy Corps, and UNICEF are working on this problem and are taking donations from those who want to help. This has been a problem for as long as I can remember. I pray that it will be solved soon. Those children deserve a better chance at life.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43841708/ns/nightly_news/t/famine-horn-africa-how-help/
Hello Brandee,
ReplyDeleteI have to start off by saying that you have a story to tell. I commend you for being able to speak about the situations that you were once in. I also commend you for not giving up on your mother. There are things that we endure in life, but just hold on, the rainbow will appear after the storm.
There are so many things that affect our children on a daily basis. As educators, we have to make ourselves available to them to support their every need. One thing that I learned while teaching and in the teaching arena, we are more than educators, we come with many tasks.
Malnutrition will affect everybody. Not having the proper nutritions can cause damages in several ways. Good job pointing out the ways they are trying to overcome that issue in Somalia.
Thanks for your response Mrs. KTO! I truly believe my testimony will help a lot of (young) people once they hear it. I am an overcomer and I want to let other people know that they can be overcomers as well. It's where you start off, it's where you finish!
ReplyDeleteYou are also right about us being more than educators. We wear many hats in this field. We have to do whatever we have to do for the children's best interest. It oomes with the territory!
Violence plays a huge role in everyday life it seems. All of us seem to have dealt with some kind of abuse growing up. I am truly sorry that you had to endure molestation, the thought of that happening is unbearable. I will make the person suffer if my children are ever molested. I am also sorry that your mom went through her addiction. I hope all is well with you and your family as well. Take care and God bless.
ReplyDeleteHi Brandee: yes I can say you have a good point, children are being affected a great deal by violence, There are million of children who are faced with these challenges, in and out of foster homes. It is really sad that children go through this. I see hundreds of children at the Children’s Courts and I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I mean all the floors was field up with nothing but children who have been abuse, and foster parents, and the children biological parents, and grandparents I am one of the foster parents. Thank you for sharing your challenges you have been faced with and your words of wisdom.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cassandra-cassandraperry.blogspot.com
Brandee sorry for the pain you have had to endure and again through your words I knew you were a very strong woman I could tell by your words God has equip you to handle just about any situation that cross your path. Continue to remain focus great post!
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