I woke up angry this morning.
How does someone "throw away" a kid? When did it become ok to let "The System" raise our children? And why do so many of them fall through the cracks?
I keep hearing people say, "The System is broken." Yep, sure is. Guess why? Because it's run by broken people in a broken world. There isn't a perfect system for raising children who are given up, taken from drug-addicted parents, or removed from abusive homes. There isn't a perfect system for raising kids in a loving home with two doting parents, a dog and a white picket fence. This world isn't perfect.
So whose fault is it? Whose responsibility is it to fix "The System"?
It's yours. And mine.
It's so easy to be the armchair quarterback, isn't it? We need more funding, we need more social workers, we need better social workers. Someone should really do something about that. Our government should fix that. Nonprofits should fix that!
No, YOU should fix it. I should fix it.
Guess what? If enough people would step up and stand in the gaps for these kids there wouldn't BE any cracks to fall through.
Think about all of the people in your children's lives. Teachers, family friends, relatives, coaches... If something happened to you today I'm guessing your kids would have a safety net of people around them who love them and support them and would walk beside them.
Now take all of those people out of the equation. What if your kids had NO ONE?
For so many kids, that's exactly how it is. They have no one to turn to.
And why not? Because we're too busy keeping up with the Kardashians and watching pregnant teenagers on MTV. If you have time for reality television, you have time to mentor a kid. Give up your lunch hour once a week to go eat in a school cafeteria with a kid. When you take your kids to the zoo, take along a kid from the neighborhood that you know is struggling with things at home. Be a Big Brother or Sister. Be an adoptive grandparent. Go read to the kids in a low income school. Be a foster parent. Babysit for someone else who is a foster parent when they need a break. Send a handwritten card with a little gift to a kid in your church who just needs a little sunshine in their day.
It's not rocket science. They're kids. Love on them.
We have a system that provides the skeleton for caring for the kids that need it. That skeleton needs muscle to move it forward, a thick skin to protect it, a brain to help it thrive and a heart to feel love. WE have to be those things. And one person doesn't have to be all of those things, but you can be at least one of them.
ICT SOS is a grassroots non-profit, founded in Wichita, whose mission is to connect the organizations who work directly with victims of human trafficking with members of the community who are compelled to help. Through this link, our community has an outlet to donate items, raise awareness of the sex trafficking issue and educate our children about safety. Contact us today to learn how to help. Or check out our get involved page to find out how to help the victims of sex trafficking.