Innocence

Every child deserves and needs a time of innocence. A time of play nurtured by caring adults. A time of honest communication. A time for asking any question. A time for honest and appropriate answers. A time to be loved for who they are. Without this time of innocence what does the child have as a ground on which to build meaningful life.

But all around the world children are being robbed of this innocence. They are being raped and abused, forced into hard labor, turned into sex slaves, forced to become child soldiers, living in bombed villages, becoming refugees, becoming suicide bombers, killed in gang related violence and police shootouts, victims in gun attacks at school, abandoned by addict mothers and fathers, strip searched at airports, kidnapped for ransom and more.

Even in comfortable middle class homes, children are taught to compete not play, to expect excess, to be the best not be themselves. They get messages that consumption, bling, attitude and surface beauty define the person. They are defined by their grades and performance and not by their heart and character.

Innocence is a gift every child deserves.