Still Thinking

I'm still thinking about Freedom Writers. I had some time to think, Naomi slept until 4 and of course I woke up much earlier waiting for her to wake up!
When I watched this movie, about kids in gangs in Long Beach CA, I thought it had no relevance to my safely lived life. It also made me think though that it is kind of like Bill's childhood. Groups of kids hanging out on street corners. Listening to his mom get beat up, hiding under his bed hoping he's not next. Worrying she won't be alive when he had to leave his room in the morning. Going to bed hungry every night and not having a full belly until he visited his Grandparents.
He picked up work as a child, he said he worked from at least age 9, walking all over town, dragging his lawn mower, mowing grass for anyone. For all his work he'd hand over his money and his mom would buy him a soda and a candy bar. He had all the chores at home. He was the oldest boy of 7 kids. He'd help anyone do anything just trying to learn a new skill. He laid cinder blocks under trailers, worked in a coal mine, like a crawl on your belly or scrape your back mine. He still has a scar from where a roof bolt hit his shoulder. For some reason after him they decided they'd been too hard on him and took it easy on the next 4 kids. Which just made his load heavier. Instead of chores being shared by 4 boys it was only him. I think his mom was probably overwhelmed with 7 kids and didn't know any better, truly. His step dad was about 19 when he inherited 4 step kids and then had 3 of his own and he had a bad temper and drank too much.
There was a show on ABC the other night called Children of the Mountains. Bill said he didn't have to watch it he lived it. But I am curious about the show. Bill and my Dad are both from West Virginia, different counties though. Both have some terrible childhood stories.
Bill was raised not far from the Eastern Kentucky counties in this show. I see on the website lots of people are sending in money for funds for these kids. All I've go to say, without watching the individual families is this. These are people who generally have never had any money to manage. If they're given say $10,000 that's going to seem like enough to last a lifetime. They'll probably spend it in no time too. The kids do deserve a hand out of their situation. But do they want to leave? Even Bill used to go home every weekend for years after he left. There's some kind of draw back to the mountains. My Dad too! My Dad was in Vietnam for 2 tours of duty. He said before he left other Marines warned him of the living conditions over there. He got there and thought "this isn't so bad" it was actually better than what he had at home! (SIDE NOTE: My grandparents had an outhouse built over a stream. 14 kids used that. I pity who ever lived down stream! YUK!)
To really help these kids the change needs to start from the inside. They need to be taken out of their situations and shown there is a better way. Just like in Freedom Writers. If you think kids are hungry and poor everywhere, living the same as you, how would you even know to want different. If you come from a community as tiny as that how are they going to adapt to college campus life?
My Dad's family settled in Fayette County WV (Virginia then) prior to 1850. They used to be a self supporting people. Farmed, kept a garden, sold their goods, canned and put up food. Really had a hard life. But they worked were proud and took care of their own. Some where along the line there was a big change. Too many people still live out in the mountains where there aren't many jobs. No real way to support a family. Instead of driving to work they simply file for welfare. This is a bit of a generalization. I do have cousins that drive an hour or more for work and also some who've gone to college to get an education so they can earn a living in the area they are living. But I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say they're the minority.
These poor children of the mountains are poor. They don't have enough food. They've probably never seen a dentist, rarely see a doctor. But there is a mind set their parents have. They don't even KNOW to want for more. Not that they have to wish for riches. But to have the basics! To ensure your child has a better chance than you did. To go out and do for themselves and not just wait until someone gives them something. The really poor do get food stamps so why are the kids so hungry. When I hear them complain about their kids being hungry while a cigarette hangs out of their mouth that really drives me bonkers! I've seen too many of these families come home from the grocery with too little milk and too much soda. Soda like you wouldn't believe!
I have no answers for these people. I'm glad there are churches helping, but that's the same thing. The kids who really need supplies from the church won't get them because their parents can't even sober up and leave to go get something for free.
On ABC's website about the kids it says toothlessness, depression, prescription drug use etc.. is a major problem in the area. They're leaving out domestic and sexual abuse. Both are way too common in that area and probably contribute to the depression and drug abuse. I wonder if they mentioned teen pregnancy? Or the drop out rate? Illiteracy?
UGHHHH this all drives me nuts!

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