Southern Musings

Children are to be cherished. They are gifts of joy that touch our hearts. Sometimes they may be a bit difficult to deal with. Sometimes they simply have too many difficulties to deal with. They come into the world trusting and needing help with even the simplest of body functions. They grow and become at least somewhat independent. The time between should be filled with safety, security, love, and happiness.

We know that nobody can expect to be happy, safe, secure, or even felt to be loved all of the time. Should that mean that we should allow any child to face sadness, insecurity, loneliness, or fear for most of their days? What if that child belongs to a total stranger, if given the opportunity to help, should help be provided?

CNN.com is full of videos and stories of horrors faced by children all over the world. How about the ten year old in Yemen that was married to someone against her wishes? The marriage was arranged by her parents. Although, there are claims as to the conditions of the marriage being broken, nobody stood up for the young child. At ten, she is still a child. A child that was strong enough to do what was necessary to begin the process of divorce when her own family would not or could not help. Who was there to protect her? She eventually found a protector to stand up and help her through the process. After marriage, rape, and divorce, can a ten year old be a child again?

It does not just happen half way around the world. Children need help right here in the United States. Even those with parents that love them and that try their best to protect them. CNN.com also shares the story of a fifteen year old that is facing deportation after a foreign adoption. She lives in Pennsylvania with parents that have been fighting with the immigration department over whether she will be allowed to stay or if she will be forced to leave the only country she has ever truly known. Without any way of knowing who her biological family is, where would a fifteen year old if forced to leave this country and the only parents that she can probably remember?

Is there anything we can do to protect the children of the world? One person is limited as to what they can do. The culture of many countries allow for arranged marriages. Should we try to step in and tell them how to live in their country? Well, personally, I have always heard that you need to clean out from under your own doorstep before you try to tell someone else to clean out from under theirs. There sure is enough for us to straighten out in our own country, state, or even city before we try to straighten out other places.

Take a look around and see what needs help. Do children go to school without necessary clothes or supplies? Is health care available to those that can not afford it? Are there places for the homeless to go for shelter and food? How about the families that are trying as hard as they can but still do not have the money to keep the lights or water working in their home? Can something be done about those things?

In many areas, there are groups that are trying to help. The need often is greater than the resources available. Few people would sell their home to donate thousands of dollars to help the needy. Not everyone has millions to spread around the world to help others. There are much smaller ways that help can be given. Some do not even require a financial requirement. Soup kitchens need servers. Shelters need clothing. Abused women need cell phones. Schools need volunteers to help struggling students. There are many online groups that make craft items that are sent to those in need. How some of these include children may not be immediately clear. Children get hungry and need soup kitchens and shelters. Abused women often have children. The online groups may send school supplies or holiday gifts to the children in need.

The children of the world need help. They need to be allowed to be children and enjoy life. They should not be facing fear, torture, hunger, or loneliness. Stand up and make a difference. Join a large group, help an individual, share a donation, or write a letter. Even if the help provided is not enough to solve the situation, for at least one moment a child was not scared, lonely, hungry, or unloved. For that moment, they were simply a child.

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