I received this from Jordan Riak and feel we should all support this very important resolution for children:
Dear Friends,
I THANK YOU for your most thoughtful support of my Positive Parenting Resolution (see below) which will be heard before Chicago's City Council on Friday October 28th at 10 am. All are welcome to attend! The hearing will take place at Chicago's City Hall, 121 N LaSalle, in Council Chambers.
On Wednesday, I am printing a booklet of your responses and will be giving one to each of Chicago's Aldermen. If you have not yet sent a response and would like for your voice to be directly heard, please send your thoughts no later than October 26 by noon CST. E-mail
http://www.directeffectcharities.org 312.296.5311
RESOLUTION
As Submitted by Michelle DiGiacomo
Presented to Chicago City Council by
Alderman Isaac Carothers, 29th Ward
September 14, 2005
WHEREAS, all children need love, guidance and deserve to grow up in an environment free from violence and physical harm. Positive, non-violent, peaceful forms of discipline teach children to think beyond the immediate and give them a blueprint for future reference; and
WHEREAS, children are influenced by the model for behavior set by adults in their environment. When adults resort to violence, children are likely to learn this behavior is acceptable and imitate it with their peers; and
WHEREAS, positive, non-violent parenting promotes positive, peaceful relationships and respect for others and their rights to safety; and
WHEREAS, childhood is a unique and critical stage of life. All children share the same basic needs for safety, health, love and dignity. Peaceful, communicative parenting supports a child?s development; and
WHEREAS, current research shows that exposure to violence negatively impacts upon normal brain development and learning for all children; and
WHEREAS, violent behavior learned in the home and school environment is reflected in the behaviors of people throughout our communities, cities and societies at large. As a result of this violence, children and families are hurting, education systems and learning has been hindered, and prisons are overflowing with youth; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Chicago will support a proclamation that encourages non-violent discipline in the effort to reduce violence towards all but especially within the family and as directed towards children; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of Chicago, on behalf of the children of Chicago, help establish ties between our schools and community through the promotion of mental health and family counseling programs to support families experiencing stress; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of Chicago Child Abuse Prevention Joint Task Force is urged to continue its advocacy on behalf of children experiencing violence in the home; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that City Departments and Agencies are encouraged to implement and distribute positive, non-violent parenting literature within the community via schools, churches, hospitals and community organizations which will help to make parents aware of education that supports behavior management strategies as alternatives to corporal punishment; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall serve as notice that City Council of the City of Chicago has been and shall remain vigilant in guarding the best interests of the children of Chicago in all matters to the extent legally and feasibly possible.
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Jordan Riak, Exec. Dir., Parents and Teachers Against Violence in Education (PTAVE), P.O. Box 1033, Alamo, CA 94507-7033. Web site: "Project NoSpank" at
http://www.nospank.net Telephone: (925) 831-1661
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MY RESPONSE:
I am very well aware of the magnitude of child and teen abuse in this country and would personally like to help in the fight against it.
Children are precious. They deserve to be innocent. They deserve to be safe. They deserve love. They deserve respect. They deserve to be comforted when they are scared. They deserve kindness. They deserve a proper education. They desrve shelter. They deserve to be children.
They deserve parents who will put themselves aside when it comes to the needs of their children, parents who will not only provide for their children's physical needs, but for their emotional needs as well.
There is an epidemic of parents feeling inadequate to parent their own pre-teens and teenagers. A billion dollar a year industry, one of America's largest, snuck up on us and continues to thrive and grow. Why? Because they have found a way to convince parents that without their programs their children will die. Parents, already feeling inadequate, are easily convinced that someone else can do a better job. They are also convinced to have their children abducted against their will, most often times in the middle of the night from their beds, to get them there. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Children are being abused at home, in programs away from home, by strangers, by friends, by relatives, by priests, by boy scout leaders, it's unbelievable. It is our job as parents, as teachers, as therapists, as friends, as human beings, to protect the children and to see that they are safe. If we suspect something is going on we should not hesitate to act quickly to protect the child, for the child is most often not able to protect him or herself.
Wake up, America, and help the children. Together we can make a difference!
