Happy Easter, Everyone!

Image by Stitch via Flickr

 I thought this a worthy post to celebrate the Easter Holiday and the Resurrection of Our Lord. It is also a reminder that April is child abuse prevention month.

This is a repost.............

Chocolate bunnies and brightly colored eggs are what children look forward to on Easter Sunday. Dressing in their finest pastel dresses and shirts to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the rebirth of Spring.

To some children.......this is only a dream......

Over 3 million children are abused every year in the United States. Physical, emotional or sexual child abuse is rampant and while many laws and programs have been put in place in the past decades, our children are still suffering the abuse.
April is the month designated to child abuse prevention, but we need to be diligent all year round to keep our kids safe and secure. Even when we think a child is safe, they can be hurt, inside their own homes, by their own parents or other family members. People, who the child should be able to trust and feel safe with, are many times the people who harm them. Physical scars will heal in time, but the emotional scars of this type of child abuse never heal. Their innocent lives are changed forever, by calling them names or making them feel inadequate in some way. Verbal abuse isn't talked about as much as the others (physical, emotional and sexual), but it can be just as devastating to a child.
Here are a few statistics that will shock you.

• A report of abuse is made every 10 seconds
• Five children die EVERY DAY as a result of child abuse. Three out of four are under the age of four
• 60-85% of child fatalities due to neglect are not recorded as such on their death certificate
• 90% of child sexual abuse victims know their perpetrators
• Child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across every ethnic and cultural line, within all religions and at all levels of education

Child abuse is insidious, because of the effect it has on the child long after the crime and well into adulthood. To learn more click here.
Child Welfare Information Gateway - Definitions of child abuse and neglect - A summary of State laws

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Find Susan Powell

It has been over a month now that Susan Powell, a 28 year old mother of two sweet boys, ages 5 and 3, has been missing. Her children don't know where their mommy is and that is not OK. I am fearful that the outcome, after all of this time, will not be a good one for those children or the rest of the family. Still, we must stay positive, easier said than done, for those who love her and miss her and want her back home with them.

Every time I see a post or a news article about Susan Powell, I wonder what I would do if it were one of my daughters who went missing. As much as it hurts to think about and the agony I imagine feeling, it is nothing compared to what Susan's family, friends and loved ones are going through, because my daughters are still with me.

Please keep Susan Powell and her family in your prayers, for more information about Susan Powell.

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• Harnessing the Internet to Search for Susan Powell (lockergnome.com)
• Missing Utah woman's husband moving to Washington (seattletimes.nwsource.com)