Concrete Angel

[ShySoul]

Abuse of any kind is a heinous act. Child abuse is in particular a troubling thing that is far too common in this world. Children are precious and should be treated with loved, raised right and given the change to become happy adults in life. I know people who were abused as children, and the scars haunt them to this day, causing problems in every aspect of their lives. And for some children, they don't survive. So this thread is a call to everyone, please do your part to help address this threat. Following are a few websites and organizations dedicating to this cause. If you know of any others, please share. Please support a local program, be it donations or volunteering. You can even just volunteer to work at an afterschool center to give a child a positive role model, even if they aren't being abused.

 

Children are our future. The deserve the best environment they can have, and deserve to be surrounded by love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you suspect any form of child abuse, please do something about it. And if you have survived such abuse, know that you are strong and brave. If you feel comfortable, share your stories and maybe it will inspire someone else to seek help or take action. If you aren't comfortable sharing details, just a word of encouragement is fine. Together, we can help save someone simple by increasing awareness and urging others to do the same.

[ShySoul]

Silly me, forgot something. I wanted to share this song which has touched me since I first heard it. It's about child abuse. Hopefully, it will touch you too and make you want to do something.

 

Artist/Band: Martina McBride

Lyrics for Song: Concrete Angel

Lyrics for Album: Greatest Hits

 

She walks to school with the lunch she packed

Nobody knows what she's holdin' back

Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday

She hides the bruises with linen and lace

 

The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask

It's hard to see the pain behind the mask

Bearing the burden of a secret storm

Sometimes she wishes she was never born

 

Chorus: Through the wind and the rain

She stands hard as a stone

In a world that she can't rise above

But her dreams give her wings

And she flies to a place where she's loved

Concrete angel

 

Somebody cries in the middle of the night

The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights

A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate

When morning comes it'll be too late

 

Repeat Chorus

 

A statue stands in a shaded place

An angel girl with an upturned face

A name is written on a polished rock

A broken heart that the world forgot

 

Repeat Chorus

[Shadows Light]

Shy....

 

Thank-you so much for your post. Did you know that Vebal and Emotional abuse are also considered CHILD ABUSE.

 

Calling your child names. Swearing at your child. Calling them stupid. Giving them nasty pet names.. Belittling your children. Telling your children they can do better better better when they are obviously doing their best.. killing their soul.. is child abuse. The abuse that doesn't leave marks. The abuse that takes the shine and sparkle out of a childs eyes and makes them sad.

 

When we think Child abuse.. we think obvious neglect or physical signs of abuse. But there is a far more insidious nasty abuse that is virtually untracable..that leaves hidden scars. Verbal and Emotional Abuse.

[ShySoul]

Great point Shadows. The little things, the emotional abuse can hurt a child for years to come. Parents affect us more then most realize, they help to shape the way we look at the world. The way they treat their children can seriously affect every other relationship the child will have. And its important they are supportive, loving, and set them on the right track.

[BillyJean714]

My mother raised me TRADITIONAL. According to her, traditional meant that you hit your children and you verbally put your children down as a way to "humble" them.

 

Now, I am very happy that she married my step-dad. He's oppossite from her in terms his views in raising children. I think after my father passed away, he really helped me personally, by finding my step-dad.

 

I agree with everything you said about scars that's left behind. It's torment. Luckily, I always had this strength inside of me to pick myself up when I'm down. I think a lot of it had to do with the love my father gave me when he was alive. When he passed away, my protective shield also went away. My mother had full control. Her abuse lead to the point where child services took me away for a whole year after my father passed away.

 

In a lot of ways- your post reminds me and inspires me to do what I truly want to do. I'd love to work with urban city children and urban community families. Growing up poor, I KNOW what it's like to go through abuse, neglect, and just about any instability that comes along with an environment where it's considered 'ghetto.'

 

Anyway, I have so much to share, and I really would love to give back to kids who went through with what I went through. I also hope to inspire them to NEVER give up, and to NEVER give into a life of gang banging, drugs, prostitution, etc. etc. There is much more to life than we know. They just need someone who believes in them, the same way that my father and personal mentours believed in me.

 

Thanks for your insight, ShySoul!

[EmptyPromises]

I love that song ShySoul

[ShySoul]

EmptyPromises - Great song, isn't it?

 

BillyJean - I've said it before, but I'll say it again. The strength and heart you have is amazing. You are an angel, surviving the worst and still coming out of it ok, using the darkness you went through to shine light into others lives.

 

Thanks for all your insight Billy. You're an inspiration to me and countless others.

[BillyJean714]

Thank you ShySoul. Means A LOT for you to say that! You are also a very inspiring person. I hope you will never give up and I also hope that you keep on being you and more of you, each and every single day! The world needs more people who truly care, people like you.

[yeawutever]

How sad, these people don't know they are destroying the life they both created and think of it as nothing. I have no pity, no sympathy for them, I dunno but if I were the judge, I would put them 20-30 years behind bars, see how that feels!!!! Sad song but I like it. Now one question ShySoul.

According to the song, did this happen to one particular girl in real life or is it just a general song about wut we see an abused child enduring?

[ShySoul]

I think its just in general, not one specific girl.

[ami]

Shy Soul,

 

You seem to have a lot of great advice and you have an impeciable way of wording your thoughts. It's true that the world needs more people like you to encourage others to keep pushing through the storm to reach the sunshine!

 

P.S. Martina McBride is my favourite songwriter and singer! I can truly feel the emotions she sings about. Take care!

[yeawutever]

True, u seem like a philosopher, maybe you should take humanities or laws (as for me I'm majoring in psychology). you're pretty good at it. It's like you can say all these stuff you're writing down in person (shy, but with lots of helpful words).