The reality of the pandemic hit home for me over the holiday season when I was blessed with a new niece. No one was allowed to visit her in the hospital. We weren’t able to begin our outpouring of support in our traditional LARGE family way. We had to wait impatiently, and still we have not gathered together to introduce this little one to her robust (aka loud) family with all the love we have to offer.
So many children in our society today live isolated from support systems, and the pandemic has only exacerbated the issue. Yet, every child is filled with tremendous promise and hope for the future and aspirations of being part of the generation that gets it “right.” If children are not afforded the opportunity to know their potential, we are doing them and us a disservice. We must support families to ensure parents are not overloaded with stress. Children have a great capacity for resiliency. We just have to create the environments that allow it. Every day, Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) works to accomplish this with families. We support:
- mothers experiencing post-partum depression so they can receive necessary treatment and develop a healthy parent-child relationship with their newborns.
- parents in their pursuit of education whether it is completing a high school diploma or working toward a college degree.
- parents in their employment goals. We know when a parent has a job that pays above minimum wage, it is one less stress to manage.
My wish is that all children have access to many adults who are loyal, selfless and loving and show genuine care and concerns for others.
