We don’t always know what impact our small actions will have. It might feel like it’s not enough and maybe even not worth doing, but to this woman that small action meant everything in that moment. If we take away anything from her story it should be that no matter how insignificant that small action might seem to you, do it anyway. There’s no downside, only the possibility that it will make a difference to someone.
The parents trying to navigate the maze of mental healthcare while also trying to work to help pay for the care that winds up not being covered and be there for their other children as well. It’s a lot. All of that stress isn’t good for anyone’s health, mental and physical. Imagine trying to support a child with getting mental healthcare while also needing your own care, or dealing with illnesses.
It’s a mess. I don’t envy parents who find themselves in this position. If you know any parents in this boat, maybe see what they need. Find some way to take a little stress off. Provide a meal or two, run some errands for them, etc. They need it more than they will probably ever admit.
There’s no real difference. I should know. I was sexually abused by an older minor. There was no creepy old man, only an older and bigger kid who threatened me. Someone in my own family. Mall parking lots, school, and our neighborhood park weren’t the places where I was not safe, my family was.
And I had no way to tell anyone, because I wasn’t taught about that being child abuse. Only strange men in white vans giving out candy abused children. Whatever was happening in my family wasn’t to be discussed with anyone. It wasn’t, and it went on for years.
Maybe we should do better with understanding the ways kids abuse other kids, and talking openly about it. The link below can help.
Casey calls out those of us who would say “love is love” and support our LGBTQ friends and family members without standing up and doing what we can to actually make this world safer for them. I’ll go one further. If we want to call ourselves mental health advocates and advocates for trauma survivors we need to do what we can to push for a world that is safe for everyone. We can’t heal when we don’t feel safe, and for too many people in this world, they have no reason to feel safe.
We need to advocate for a world that is safe for them too.
The bottom line? We can all play a role in improving mental health outcomes for ourselves and the people around us. We change the world one solid relationship at a time and we build those by communicating.
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