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T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z The ABC's of a child's smile.

When I think of the ABC's, I think about children. The many hours spent playing games and singing songs so they could learn these amazing letters. It was so much fun, but for some it's  source of pain.                        
                 April is national Child Abuse Month.

That is why I combined the remaining letters so my post can stay up for a week. Child Abuse comes in many forms. Physical, verbal, emotional, neglect of basic needs including love. Can you imagine living without the security of knowing someone is there to love and protect you? 
Feeling that you need to try and be perfect? Afraid to make mistakes? Abuse does not always leave physical scars. I know, that's why I became a child advocate, and a foster parent. I wanted to make sure children knew that learning their ABC's can be fun, without the fear of making mistakes. 

If you tell a child they're dumb, slow and not trying hard enough, they believe it.

So take a moment and hug your children. Let them know it's okay to make a mistake, we learn from them. Encourage them to grow, not force them. 

So my view on the rest of the Alphabet is
T is for teaching- teach them to love unconditionally.
U is for Understanding. Understand that kids need to make mistakes to learn
V is for Victory. Celebrate everything.
W is for Willing to except that every child is different
X is for eXtra (I know, I had to cheat to make that work) spend some eXtra time with a child, show them someone cares.
Y is for Youth. Don't rob our children of their Youth by making them grow up to fast. Let them be a kid. Don't force them to be adults before they have to.
Z is for Zero tolerance for any type of abuse.

Children are our future, and a gift from God. We need to protect them. Show them that life can be filled with hope and love, and not pain and loneliness.

I used the pain from my past as a learning tool and was able to put my journey into a story.
One that I hope will help others.

If I Knew Then,  is  a Young Adult story about a young girl who is determined to keep her sisters from going through the abuse she has had to endure, and hide from everyone to protect her mothers secret.

This book will focus on avenues for children to reach out to for help if they find themselves in a situation that is to big for them to solve on their own. 
I just signed a contract with Black Opal Books so check back for more excerpts, and a future release date.
If my story reaches out and saves just one life, then it was worth writing.

Here's a small excerpt.

   Icy cold fingers tightened around Angel’s wrist, jerking her hand back towards her arm. She gasped, and her eyes widened, as her wrist cracked against the pressure. Her knees grew weak and she fell forward, grabbing the crush velvet theater seat in front of her. Her fingernail's bit into the fabric as her mother’s eyes blazed down at her. A high pitch screech filtered in from the hall, and Angel’s heart pounded in her chest.
“That would be your sister unlocking the back door.”
Her Mother’s voice was hard, but not an unfamiliar tone to Angel. Her fingers opened and Angel’s hand dropped like a rock, and she grabbed it, clutching it to her chest. Her wrist throbbed and her fingers were numb, but she knew it wouldn't last. It never did. Her mother always knew when to stop.
“I want everything brought in, and the boxes emptied on stage before everyone arrives. You only have an hour, now get moving.”
Her mother rolled her eyes as Angel dropped her arm, and shook her hand to relieve the pain. The tingling in her fingertips disappeared, and Angel opened her mouth, but her mother waved her hand to dismiss her as she checked her watch.
“One hour, Angel. Not a minute more.”
Her mother turned on her heels, then rushed out the side door.
Angel’s fear subsided, but anger took over as she stomped up the aisle. Her footsteps echoed through the musty dark theater, blocking all other sounds around her. One more year, just one more year. She yanked open the front door. Wincing as the pain shot across her ribs. Angel sucked in a breath, and the cold metal handle slipped from her fingers as she grabbed her side.  They said time healed all wounds. Well, they really got that one wrong. The slamming door vibrated across the floor, and she cringed.  
“How many times have I told you not to slam that door?” Alice said, mocking their mother’s voice.
She stifled back a moan and gritted her teeth. She loved her sister, and the throbbing pain she tried to rub away, was a harsh reminder of how much. Her dad told her to take care of her sisters when his unit deployed last year. He just never knew who she needed to protect them from every time he left. She straightened up and bit back the pain of her “latest accident".

I have truly enjoyed being part of this years A-Z Challenge and will definitely do it again next year. Thank you for stopping by and visiting and I hope to see you back again soon.
And don't forget...Life is short. Live like your on vacation everyday and you will wake up with a smile and fall asleep with amazing memories of the fun you had that day.