Boys Don't Fly

Ah, the dream of flight. We see a boy, seven perhaps. Weightless. Soaring. Flying. Something inside his brain recalls the tosses from his father, his uncle, his mother. The giggles. The thrill of fear mixed with trust of strong arms that never fail. But this time, the boy, thrown across the room, hits the wall.

What evil had he done? What transgression lies upon his head?

The leather belt sears the back of a four year-old.

The boy can not fly. The scars on the four year-old will disappear from his back.

Have no doubt. These scars may fade, but the damage never ends. The heart is always wounded. The children's bodies may heal, but they are broken nonetheless.

Here is the score for the home team.
Violence. Five boys. Five broken marriages at least.
Violence. Three boys. Three girls. Five divorces. One child who will never know his father because the father will not see the child.
Next season? Who knows?

Think it doesn't really matter? Find a monster. It's no surprise that physical or mental abuse is present in their past. The surprise would come if the abuse is absent.

Even if more than 50% of the marriages in the United States end in divorce, please, check the box scores above. More than 90% of the marriages on the home team ended in divorce.

The big wheel keeps on rolling.

Yes, single parents can raise good babies. That's not the point. Broken marriages break children. Children grow up. Repeat. If violence is present, the cycle may not end until someone is killed or jailed.

There certainly is no shortage of people in this world who have been touched by divorce. Billions probably have been touched by violence. It's okay people. We're okay. Divorce happens for good reasons and for bad reasons. If you could bet on marriage--on each marriage that occurs in the U.S.--and you put your money on divorce, well, Las Vegas was built on such odds advantages. But toss in a little violence--add a tablespoon of abuse--suddenly, divorce is not a coin toss anymore but practically a sure bet. All that damned pain.

It's not easy to break the cycle, but it must be broken. Even if one ignores the broken marriages that seem to escalate, violence and abuse lingers forever. Worse still, even as the memories fade, the scars remain. It's like losing a limb perhaps. Not only are you missing your leg, but the crutches chaff the area under your arms, you may develop a bad back, shoulder pain, neck pain, etc. etc.

The end of domestic violence and abuse starts with you. Don't stack the deck against your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Break the cycle.

Murder of the Innocents