Thoughts on abuse.

​    I’ve noticed a change in myself that I didn’t plan upon.  I’m not as cold blooded as I once thought I was. Some things upset me more than they used to. I can’t watch the news anymore. If I see a story about someone hurting a child or a woman, I come unhinged. 

     I’m glad that the legal system works the way it does. I’d be a vigilante if this were the old west.  I’d travel from one town to the next with a noose tied to my saddle looking for people that hurt a child or a woman. 

    I’m not talking about corporal punishment. A good butt whippin’ kept me on the straight   and narrow more than once. I can remember making choices to avoid one. 

     What I’m talking about is using a fist or weapon against a woman or child. No one should have to live in fear because of a coward who believes his “punishment” of a family member is necessary. 

     I talked to a police officer in Indianapolis a few years ago. I stopped him in the Castleton Square mall to thank him for his service and tell him that I appreciate his commitment to duty. 

    As we talked for a few minutes, a lady came past us dragging her child by his coat. The officer rolled his eyes and sighed. He told me the worst part of his job was child abuse calls.

     He found it hard to arrest them peacefully. He said he often hoped the abuser would resist arrest. 

     I once saw a woman dragging her daughter by the hair. She was probably seven. I got behind the woman in line. Her daughter was crying quietly, and she was reading on of the scandal sheets on the rack by the checkout lane. 

    “I’ll give you a dollar for her,” I said. 

     “What?” She asked. 

     “I’ll give you a dollar for your daughter,” I replied. “You treat here as if she isn’t worth anything to you. A dollar seems fair.”

     Let’s just say she was unimpressed by my offer. The best that I can hope for is that I made the lady think before losing her temper the next time. 


      If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.   www.thehotline.organization

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