There has been a lot of attention (and rightfully so) in the media about bullying and discrimination against gay youth. Knowing firsthand how bullying can affect a child, I am outraged by the lengths that children, teenagers, and adults will go to demean a peer who may or may not be a homosexual in order to fulfill their own perverse sense of morality or to feel superior as a person. The psychological damage that bullying can cause, even if it happened at a very young age, can last a lifetime and can affect a person's social and physical development.
As a parent, the stories of these young men who have committed suicide because of the physical and emotional abuse received at the hands of others affect me to my core. I mourn the meaningless loss of a beautiful, sacred human life; I feel for the mothers whose babies were ripped from existence by such heartless people; and I sob when I see their children's faces on the news. I have seen what bullying can do to a child and find it morally reprehensible that this form of humiliation is allowed to happen by parents and school officials. I imagine how I would feel if Desmond grew up to be a bully and harass his classmates and it angers me. I also imagine how I would feel if Desmond were the recipient of this harassment and it pains me beyond belief. I have a duty as a parent to instill in Desmond a respect for each and every human being, regardless of what they look like or what they believe, even if it's drastically different than what we look like or believe. I will not allow my child to terrorize another human being the way these kids had been terrorized and I pray that other parents will do the same with their children so he will not suffer from meaningless abuse.
Please read this moving post over at www.furthertheless.com if you'd like to learn more about the "It Gets Better" movement.
On a slightly less serious note, I wish there was a website with testimonials from mothers who had overcome obstacles to nursing, all of them telling new moms who are having breastfeeding issues not to give up, that it gets better. I would definitely contribute to it. I've had so many great people reach out to me to tell me that it does get better, not to give up, get help when I need it and I took their advice and now enjoy a (almost) perfect nursing relationship with my son. All the pain and tears and frustration were all worth it to know that I'm providing him with the best possible start in life.
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Check out the forums on LLLi.org and mothering.com for "It gets better" nursing stories
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