Who I Am and Why We're Here

I am just a mom. At least that's how I felt until I read one too many news articles about a child being sexually abused and exploited. I was tired of being disgusted and sad, angry and wishing things like this would stop. I realized all my anger and tears were being wasted if I didn't consciously make a decision to do something about it. Too often, we complain or lament about things in our society - but we don't do anything. We think we're just one person or that someone else must be doing something about it. So I did some online research and found the Massachusetts Citizens for Children organization. They run the Enough Abuse Campaign (www.enoughabuse.org), which specifically deals with child sexual abuse prevention.

Even though I'm not part of a major organization, I was aware of one major opportunity I had at my fingertips, literally -  social media. Social media has enabled us to communicate and group together like never before. The other strength I knew I had available to me - the strength of parents and people who CARE. That are willing to use their Facebook and Twitter pages to spread information on things that matter to them. And when it comes to children, no one is more ferocious in the defense of a child's innocence and health than Moms and Dads and all other people who cherish the children in their lives. 

We are Mama Bears and Papa Bears. We will defend our children from harm to our last breath. We are Grandma Bears and Grandpa Bears. Auntie Bears and Uncle Bears. We are friends, babysitters, teachers, community leaders who see the beauty of childhood and ache in our own hearts when a child is hurting.

We are here because child sexual abuse can be prevented. We are here because we want to educate ourselves and our family and friends on how to identify who is at risk, who are the abusers, what we need to look for, what we need to ask, and what we can do about it. Education is our number one line of defense. If we don't know, we put ourselves and our children at a greater risk.

We are here because we are committed to being a part of this movement. We will spread the word and we will defend our children's right to a happy and healthy life. My goal is to take the research that has been done by professionals and post it here so that we may share it so others may gain from their knowledge. We are here because we are ready to unite to end child sexual abuse. 

We are ready.