For days now I’ve been reading about the needs of children, those children who, for no fault of their own have been thrust into a strange country by adults whose intentions may be good or bad, depending on who or what media outlet you listen to.  Children who are scared and confused, looking for a parent or any adult they can trust and lean upon.  I’m looking at a country who is enraged about the treatment of these children, equating it to taking children from African American slaves and children taken from parents and put into gas chambers in Nazi Germany.

I see a country that seems to be called to action, with citizens making phone calls and writing emails to representatives and the White House, writing impassioned posts on social media, calling everyone’s attention to the plight.  All done from the comfort of their own homes, their own lives remaining the same as always.  Everyone is motivated emotionally, which is wonderful – this has obviously hit a nerve with Americans in one way or another.  However, like so many other things, we will be known by our fruit.  What are we actually doing to help this cause we so desperately believe in, protecting these and other children?

I have another question.  Where are these people when it comes to caring about the craziness that so many children in this country deal with everyday?  Children who are homeless, hungry,  and without the basic necessities of life.  Children of alcoholics, drug addicts and prison inmates, children who are emotionally, physically and sexually abused.  Children in need of loving, caring foster families.  Children who need mentors, big brothers and sisters willing to spend time with them and do what they can to make their lives better.

I am ashamed to say that although I care about all of these children, I tend to do the bare minimum in terms of getting out there and helping.  Oh sure, I give money to various organizations that help children, but I have not ever approached those organizations and asked what else I can do to help make a difference.  But there are just so many needs out there, I think I just get overwhelmed and don’t know what to do.  I get busy doing my own thing and insulate myself from the reality that is these children’s lives. Is there a way that I can use my words to influence others to think about stepping out of their comfort zones to help children in ways they’ve never done before?  Can my words make me accountable to the point that I too look into ways of really getting my hands dirty, so to speak, and work one on one with a child or with a group of children outside of school?

Sure, I care about the kids I work with at school, and for those kids I know are struggling, I do my best to not only be their teacher but a parent/grandparent figure, someone they can come to when they need to talk, a word of encouragement or a hug.  I’m learning also, especially in our current culture, that it’s important to teach my kids to think about and give to others, but what kind of example am I to them?

Where are we going to be as a country if we don’t work as communities to help these children who are struggling to become successful, well adjusted adults?  I am fortunate to be surrounded by kind, caring and generous people every day of my life and I know some of them are doing things to help others that I myself am not doing.  Imagine the difference we could make in this country if our motivation was love and kindness and we actually DID something.  The results would be breathtaking and live changing.

I can’t be at the border right now to see first hand what is happening to these children  and quite frankly, the news is so unreliable, so skewed by a political or philosophical points of view that I don’t trust any news coverage anymore and that is frustrating.  Words are so often taken out of context and video can be edited, so it’s difficult to find truth anymore.  So while I can’t be there, I can still be a proponent of children’s rights and be a force right here in my own backyard.  I can be a voice for kids on the board that I serve on whenever we focus more on policies and ideology than we do people.  I think this event has been a wake-up call to me personally to get off my butt and put my feet where my mouth is.  Still overwhelmed by the needs but willing to find a way to make a difference.