43 Cranes and my thoughts on "hearing aids"

"It is said" that if you make a thousand of these you will get your wish.

My hope: That children in present need of rescue can be both found and helped.

My goal: Sell these, as ornaments, to my neighbors. Raise $1000, which I will donate to those who are trying to make my hope a reality.

~eigh­teen lives flashed in that in­stant through my mind—nine that had been, and nine that could have been . . .

LOST YEARS

It always makes me sad to hear of someone, a real someone, who lost years of his or her life to the enslavement of pain and fear. Often it is an adult telling the story of him or herself as a child, and I am sad because it is years too late to do anything for that childhood.

But there are children today for whom it is not too late for someone to hear. It can be tricky, though--this is why we hear too many of these stories from adults long after the fact. So I've been thinking about "hearing aids;" key pieces of adult education that will help us hear a child's need for help.

Some aids I've found:

• Static reducers--Cut out the pre-conceptions: that family members can't be abusers, that church members can't be abusers, etc.
• Signal amplifiers--"Children will often 'shut down' and refuse to tell you more if you respond emotionally or negatively." Learn how to strengthen a child who confides in you; don't run the risk of stifling his or her voice.
• Language aids--An abused child may be pre-verbal, not very verbal or confused by overwhelming fear and anger. Learn to hear an SOS in whatever form it manifests.