21 December 2006

This is NOT what CHRISTMAS means....

The local news (Ft. Wayne) reported that four children (the oldest was 7) were left for DAYS, unattended at a home in the 2900 block of Winter St. Authorities have since placed the children in protective services, the "husband/boyfriend/father/whatever" has been taken into custody thanks to other outstanding warrants. The mom is a recovering crack addict (been clean for THREE DAYS she stated). The house has been condemned as unfit for habitation (I hope they got the CAT out as well...even HE deserves a better place to crib than THAT).

Now....would someone please "splain" to me exactly HOW this kind of thing can occur? How can a crack addict wind up in a (formerly) nice house? Why weren't EITHER parent (if you can even call them that) acting responsibly for the well-being of these children? If the situation demanded that these children receive better care, WHY wasn't that help sought out a lot earlier?

It's THIS kind of thing that goes WAY beyond me shaking my head...I'm downright pissed off at the way these kids were treated...period. And everyone else should be AS pissed.

I see drug deals at house with toddlers living there in my area every month....it's no secret. These non-working bucks have nothing better to do than stay the hell home, get high (and stay that way in many cases), beat the woman, and leave whenever the mood suits HIM. Many of the (barely adult) women are not much better. They have their girlfriends over, go out shopping (or whatever), and many of THEM don't work a steady job either. And yet somehow, that rent is paid every month.

Wish I had such access to this "magic well of finances" they seem to be drinking from. It would make getting a new roof or a car repair a lot more pleasurable...and that's WITH people WORKING in our house. And if they're NOT working...where is ALL this $$$ coming from? Must be the drug trade....and we know THAT isn't helping the kids one damn bit. I don't know of ANY 3 year old that benefits from the new Caddy that the "man of the house" is tooling around in, OR that killer stereo (literally) in the trunk, OR that doobie he's toking out front every other day. If there IS any "giving" per se, it's that these people give to THEMSELVES first and foremost, leaving the scraps for whoever is left.

And yet, this season is all about GIVING....NOT TAKING. But all I happen to be seeing is the TAKING. Parents (so they think) taking a real childhood from their kids for the sake of that next "bag" or joint. They TAKE from the government because they're too damn LAZY to do anything but get stoned. They TAKE from other people to pawn off the ill-gotten gain for whatever poison they're shooting, snorting or smoking. They TAKE and never give back (unless you want to call being an annoyance a "gift"...and with SOME people, it truly IS)!
And all the while...the children suffer the most.

A teacher once told me MANY years ago "Dogs get MAD...people get ANGRY". After seeing and hearing about this though, I'm REAL close to crossing that line.

These kids deserve that chance to get away from people that don't seem to care about them, and into a place where they ARE valued. And in this person's opinion, reuniting them with EITHER "parent" just doesn't seem an appropriate option. These four kids need to know (and believe) that there are those that DO care...WILL care, and yes, still cling to and LIVE for what this season truly means....

You can contact Stephanie Jentgen at SCAN at 260-421-5000 to donate cash, cleaning supplies, lice kits, diapers, pajamas, hats, mittens, socks, bedding, personal hygiene items, books, etc. ( info from AWB.org...thanks)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Surely, these four children will find love in a "foster care loving home".
And by the grace of God and those guided to help these innocent children, I hope all siblings will be placed together as a family unit.

To the biological parents of these innocent children, I hope both of you get sterilized.

Bob G. said...

I heard that the outpouring to these four kids far exceeded anything hoped for...over TWO conference tables were FULL of gifts, and that doesn't include monetary donations and clothing...

So it looked like a lot more kids had a lot better Christmas than we (or they) could have hoped for...

Damn, I love a happy ending!