The United States is lacking a number of things. The most powerful country in the world seems to be slipping on several issues, sadly, many of which include families.
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Mother Teresa had it right when her transcending words resonated with millions, globally, with the idea of doing what you can, with the resources you have, for those nearest you.
16.2 million children in our country are not getting fed as they should.
Over 76% of child fatalities happen before the age of 3 ... and at the hands of parents.
We seem to be living in a time where vicious behaviors and tactics are coherently cycling from one generation to the next.
Would it be different with a proper upbringing?
Would times change if our children had a different environment, being subjected to more of and less of certain behaviors and treatment?
What is a way that we could help heal, empower, and protect our children? I think one way to begin this is our need to bring back orphanages.
As drastic of an idea as this may first appear, please hear me out as I provide 5 substantial reasons why this would only benefit the United States.
1. Bringing back orphanages would not only be giving our children a fighting, thriving chance to succeed, but the opportunity for each child to feel safe and to feel loved. Our children would no longer feel hungry or in harm's way.
Bringing orphanages back would lower the chances of childhood violence and would higher the chances of our children getting the education they both need and deserve.
2. Bringing back orphanages would also impact our welfare system that we pay into that is supposed to be helping the financial status of families in need (and in turn physical and emotional well being of our children), but truly is it in many cases? I can't count how many times this money is being used for anything but the benefit of our children in poverty situations.
I grew up in this system. My mother and I lived off of the government and from an early age, it was both humbling and raw as I was able to see the difference of those who needed this support as a way to bounce back and others who took advantage of this continued funding.
3. Bringing back orphanages would be putting more people into the workforce -- the construction and development and restoration of buildings to create these orphanages would be creating a surplus of wanted jobs. I think of the millions of dollars that a city can spend on a stadium for their athletes. No judgement there, I enjoy sports, and I get it. But what I don't get is why a city can't fund the money to house and protect its children...its very own children.
4. Bringing back orphanages would be keeping people in work force -- likewise, this would be a project, a movement, a complete undertaking that would not only grow tens of thousands of jobs across the country, but keep these jobs. From those who are constructing and restoring or maintaining the up keep of the orphanages, to the individuals who will be hands on working with our children, managing the buildings, administrators, housekeeping, food services, etc.
Truly, my Friends, the opportunities here are endless.
5. Bringing back orphanages would also force our foster system that we currently have in place to have a drastic shift. Our foster system is filled with phenomenal, selfless, incredible individuals, parents and families, true advocates who I wish we had more of in this world; those to help take care of and love and nurture children.
Likewise, we also have a foster system in place that is corrupt and broken in many places. Children being placed in homes that are completely unfit and unstable, many of these families doing it for the income only. Or on the flip side, children are being kept with their biological families when those environments are even more unfit and unstable. One of the most forefront reasons being the very fine line between neglect and abuse. At what point does not appropriately caring for a child become physical or emotional abuse?
From personal experience, I have seen both ends of the spectrum and it's been both humbling and emotionally scarring to work with children who have endured the latter.
An orphanage can be defined as a residential institution for the care and education of orphans. However, I'd love to bring back these residential homes for the care and education and safety of our children. Yes, our children who are just looking for one person in their life to be a safety net - a constant - someone to believe in them and love them.
Every child, no matter what situation they are born into, deserves to be fed 3 meals a day and have a roof over their head, and not have to live in fear.
Just as our new modern day saint Mother Teresa has said, "Do not wait for leaders. Do it alone, person - to - person." How would the United States transform if we began to put family first? To put our children first? What would happen in the communities and cities that began to embrace a revolutionary change such as this?
I guarantee society would see a major shift as far as efficiency and productivity if we brought orphanages back. When we decide to make a revolutionary change to protect and ensure the care and safety of our future, that of our children, only then will we begin to see real, true, lasting change.
Written by Regan Long from The Real Deal of Parenting