Hopes and Dreams

"Stay Strong" ~ Amanda Todd

I tried to access a link to another caregiver's blog the other day, but I could not get to it. The title of the post that was written was "Two Heartaches~One Hope". I knew it was a post in reference to two stories of heartaches that were in the news this week. And without reading the post, I know that one of those stories was in reference to Amanda Todd's suicide. 

While I don't like to share such horrible news, it's something that has me wondering where things are going. While I am no expert in this regard, her story touched me deeply, and one that made me think about the future of each one of the children in my care.

We have alot to learn from Amanda's story. She was hurting, she was in sad, she had unimaginable feelings of worthlessness, and pain. It became too much for her. 

In a world of social media, and instant communication, we have so much more to watch and be aware of when it comes to children's well being. The base of the matter is: children's self esteem needs to be fostered and their self worth needs to be nurtured. Self Esteem does not come naturally, so it needs to be developed from a young age. For further information on how we can build up self esteem in young children you can read more here. 

So it is my hope and dream for children everywhere that they grow to be individuals that know their own uniqueness and their importance in this world. It is also my hope and dream that they grow in a world that is free from this terror and turmoil. It is my hope and dream that boys and girls everywhere grow up in a world that values them and cares for them, and they value and care for others in return. It is my hope that, in the words of Amanda Todd, they STAY STRONG!

“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” 
― Judy Garland