I was that kid...

So I was just reading a beautiful piece written by OldTweener on her blog, and it made me cry because it brought back some unwanted childhood memories for me. You see, I was one of the kids she speaks of in her post. One of the kids who stayed away from the other kids in school because I was always teased, or tripped, or hit when I ventured to close.

As I stated in one of my prior posts, I was severely abused as a child. On occasion I showed up at school with bruises. My mother couldn't be bothered with buying me new clothes so I usually wore clothing that was too small and nowhere near what all the kids were wearing.

I was the kid who no one wanted to play with. The other kids thought I was weird, too much of a nerd. Some of the kids knew what happened in my house, and didn't want to be involved. Not once did a teacher or school counselor approach me and ask if I was ok, if things were ok at home. No one wanted to get involved. The one time a neighbor finally called Child Services, my mother and her friend convinced the Social Worker that nothing was going on.

They left, and my hell continued.

I used to wish that one day a Fairy Godmother would show up and whisk me away from all the hurt and pain. I wished upon every star I saw shooting through the sky and I prayed every night. But nothing changed...

All I ask of you, is to take an extra minute as you go through your day and pay attention to the children and teens you may encounter. Don't be the one to see something is wrong yet not do anything about it. Sometimes just the simple act of asking "Is everything ok" can make a huge difference. Whatever you do, don't just walk away if you think something is wrong.

Take a second to do something. Make a difference in a child's life.