Back to School - Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse

Back to School brings to mind various thoughts and images. So why did I choose a Back To School Theme? Partly because of my own school-related issues. I know that school means lots of things to lots of people, especially survivors. It means a schedule. It means being out of the house for long periods of time. It means a hot meal for lunch. To others it means the struggle to hide signs of abuse. For those who were abused by other students or teachers/school officials, it meant a time of horror. Summer, for me, meant more time at home with my abuser. It meant shorts and bathing suits, which felt akin to being without clothes. It meant long hours home alone while my mother worked. But it also meant I could relax and not worry so much about what I said or how I acted around others. I could keep to myself more.


Lately, I've read a lot of blogs and stories from survivors that lead me to believe that many others are triggered by the "Back to School Season." It could be the schedule that changed when they were children, a parent's schedule that changed, or the influx of new people into their lives. I've also read accounts of teachers, educators and other school officials that stepped in and made a difference. Still other people suffered in school terribly. There are also parent survivors who are struggling with sending their own children to school. So here are the School-related Submissions for this month -



Marj at Survivors can Thrive writes August Angst - her post is one of many I read about school angst, and the one that was the "straw that broke the camel's back" so to speak. It inspired me to put to paper, some of my thoughts about school, and to offer to host the blog carnival with this theme.

Mile at Come into My Closet - writes there are kind people out there - "I wrote this story a long time back. Going back to school was NEVER fun. I was the kid who looked like an orphan, made fun of, sickly looking from abuse. I wrote about the kindness of a few people and the difference it made in my life. One persons influence in a sea of shame can be all the strength a person needs to grow out of a bad situation and blossom into something more. Through blogging I have met many person(s) who have influenced and loved me through my shame."

Rose Dewy Knickers at "Flash Your Knickers Here" writes Multiple Girls - a post about being a multiple and a student. Her style of writing makes me laugh out loud with tears in my eyes. The humor is there but the feelings run deep underneath the satire.

Beautiful Dreamer writes "This is not about Me" - about the shame of being a victim and how it developed, in her, the capacity to feel empathy for the underdog.

Jumping in Puddles at Life Spacings writes a bit about why no one could help us. This is the second part of a two part post about the involvement of school officials in the continuation of her abuse.

Linda at In the Best Interest offers 10 Things Teachers Can Do to Prevent and Address Child Emotional and Physical Abuse. This is a great post with lots of tips for teachers and parents, as well as anyone involved with youth.

Marcella Chester at abyss2hope writes Safety & Crime Prevention - tips for new students. This is a great post for college students, parents of college students and even everyone in general. I'd encourage you to read and pay attention.

Lily Strange writes about the Aftermath of Bullying - this is part one of her story and I look forward to reading the rest of the story. From shyness, to racism to an accent to her looks, Lily got picked on for lots of things.

Vicki at Here in My World writes about Exhaustion - as she considers that perhaps this time of year is triggering her.

In my own post entitled "One of Those Moms" I explore my own issues with my daughter starting school.

And now for our typical categories.

Advocacy & Awareness
Sometimes Saintly Nick writes STOP the ABUSE, which he refers to a "generic post"written in 2007 to focus awareness and provide some resources. I would not call it "generic" but rather powerful. Nick talks about being overwhelmed by the magnitude of abuse but taking to hear Jerry Garcia's words, "Somebody has to do something about abuse and, like it or not, that sometbody is us - you and me!" Check out the pictures in this post. Sometimes pictures truly are worth a thousand words.

Patricia Singleton at the Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker submits Why Some People Are Blind to Abuse in which she asks everyone to become aware and help stop the abuse of children.


Healing & Therapy
From Vicki at Here in My World comes "Memory" - what struck me most about her post was her question "Is it possible that you have always remembered that you don't remember?"

From Sarah - Overcoming Hatred - talks about the hatred that consumed her following her being sentenced to a locked pysch ward and the healing power of the Love that broke the chains keeping her stuck.

Dr. Kathleen Young writes "Childhood Wounds - Understanding Yourself in Context" - which writes about childhood experiences and their impact on adult life.

From Amy at Smelling God comes Failure is an Option - a post about co-dependency in which she says sometimes failure is the greatest gift you give those you love.

Aftermath
Austin from the People Behind My Eyes submits a post called In Women's Clothing. She says, "Although womanhood is for me a gift I fear women's clothing. When I wear them I completely lose myself and fear for my safety. In this entry I process my emotions concerning women's clothing." It's a great post and guaranteed to make you think.

Cornnut on her blog, Picture of Experience submits "like a madman in her moods" - a post about being sucked into months of numbness and ignorance. We need to keep Cornnut surrounded by our thoughts, prayers and well-wishes as she prepares to give birth to a new baby cornnut.


Poetry
I'm putting Grace's post "Relax and put your feet up, DT - Grace has "LIGHT" in the Poetry category. Watch her video - it's great, beautifully created and thought-provoking.

Jumping Puddles at Lifes Spacings submits Sold. I don't want to give anything away by describing this submission except to say Wow!

Secret Shadows writes Bloom Where You're Planted which is a great and beautiful submission.

Survivor Stories
Mountainmama at Writing for Real Life is a first time submitter. Her post talks about "where I am today" in which she writes about Covert incest. This is not a topic I know a lot about so I was very glad to receive this submission and learn more. I hope we read more from this writer.

Austin also submits The Emotional Toll of Chronic Pain - A common ailment among survivors is Fibromyalgia. This entry deals with a life of chronic pain by a survivor and details thoughts and emotions and how life changing such an illness can be. Tied in with her fibromyalgia is depression and anger and shame and guilt and irritability and powerlessness. Whatever ailment you struggle with, you can likely relate to the emotional cycle.

Secret Shadows also submits Fortune Cookie which is hugely inspiring to parents. Thanks for these words SS.

Sarah also submits Hope in which she makes this most powerful statement, "Stopping [self-destructive behaviour] comes only from feeling safe, feeling accepted, feeling cared about." One of the most powerful lessons I learned personally was that it is okay to be angry at God. Sarah talks about this too, and about giving hope to others still struggling in the dark.

That concludes this month's Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse. Thanks for the privilege and opportunity to host. It is indeed a blessing and honor to read the work of everyone that submits. If you are interested in hosting, contact Marj at Survivors Can Thrive.

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