My children bring me peace. My children were born into violence, and I freed us from that, though that freedom only lasted a year and a half. Now they live with the man who brought that violence into our lives. It is not a peaceful existence, for them or for me. But we have peace when we are together. I don’t usually talk about this here because I talk about it here.
I am never has happy as I am when I am with them. My children bring me peace. I bring my children peace.
They live in an environment where violence is accepted, condoned, and collected. Their father doesn’t just own guns for protection, but swords, knifes, throwing stars, and other items which, by design, cause injury and pain when used with violent actions solely for the sake of owning them.
Their father watches violent television shows – from The Deadliest Warrior to 300, and my children are not protected: daddy shows, they call them. My children practice killing each other with play swords. Their living room is a mock battle field, where the killer is superior to the killed.
They live immersed in violence, and yet they bring peace to my home.
I do not allow violent play during our time together. I do not accept hitting, kicking, and throwing things as a form of communication or conflict resolution. I practice patience, and use these moments as teaching moments. But teach as I may, they return to violence, to where is it promoted and accepted as appropriate, to where a slash with a sword is superior to a hug.
My children are my future. They are a part of our future. I strive to teach them well, and I pray that teaching is more powerful than the violence they’re taught in their other home. I let them lead me into peace, and I lead them into peace. We each lead the way for the other, together, leading and following simultaneously. I show them the beauty they possess inside, and that strength is love, not a swift kill.
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Your kids are adorable. 🙂
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Thank you! They love to cheese for the camera.
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Your article touches me deeply, Melanie. I wish you and your children a peaceful future and thanks for Blogging 4 Peace! (…and for the pingback 🙂 )
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Thank you. You’re sentiment is very much appreciated.
And you’re welcome for the pingback. I liked your post. (I guess I should pop back over and actually click Like.)
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🙂
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You’re an amazing Mother. xo (I love that song too )
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Love that picture so much, it actually brought me a little peace.
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Good. I’m glad it brought you some peace.
I like this picture too. It’s our most recent “together” picture, and our smiles are all big and real and full of life. Me likey.
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You all have beautiful teeth. So pearly. Me likey too.
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I’m always amazed at how they look in pictures, especially after smoking for years and still drinking coffee like a nut.
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They are lovely. Forgive me, I come from a family of bad teeth.
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Just know they don’t look that good in person. In person they look like I smoked for years and drink coffee like it’s water.
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Master of illusion.
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Sure. 😉
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Wonderful post, Melanie. The photo tells it all. Lotta love and peace there. I thought of two things while reading your post–yin/yang and the Dalai Lama. You are yin and he is yang. You are peace and he is violence. Your peace neutralizes his violence. Thank you for that.
The Dalai Lama said he is grateful for the Chinese who exiled him because they have forced him to reach a new level of compassion. Donkey has forced you to be more peaceful than you might have been otherwise. I am thankful for that. {{{hugs]}} Kozo
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Thank you, Kozo.
Those are two good things to think about. Thanks for sharing. I do work to neutralize his violence with my peace, and I am working on doing that when the kids are not with me as well. I’m not a violent person, but I do still hold and react at times with anger, and that is not peaceful.
I didn’t know that about the Dalai Lama. That is a wonderful through, to think of the hardship as a catalyst into a greater sense of compassion.
{hugs} back at ya!
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Great post , and I love Kozo comment above. I always felt the same with my children and the video games that they would play at friends but were not allowed in our home. Our sons would come home from a day at a friends house kick boxing each other and then screaming who killed who. I tried to stall the inevitable as long as possible but in the end the violent games, TV shows etc won out.
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Violence is the easy way out. It’s power and control without much effort. It takes much more strength to breathe and think and work towards resolution than it does to throw a fist.
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Violence is everywhere that is why prayer is so important. When we pray for a hedge of protection be placed around our children when they are out of our sight they are still protected. You are doing all you can for your children their smiles tell it all. You are laying a strong foundation in their lives and when they are older they will look back and appreciate more your love and concern for them. Thank you for listing my post. Praying for you and your family.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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I enjoyed your post. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you, also, for your prayers.
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The best you can do is to undo what he does with what time you have with them. I know this feeling all too well.
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It’s a regular effort to undo what’s he does…
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Thanks for this, Melanie. Hoping for the best for you and your children.
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“I show them the beauty they possess inside, and that strength is love, not a swift kill.” Beautiful words and beautiful children.
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Thank you much. They are beautiful little angles. I love them very much. I let them know too, so that our love keeps us strong while we are separated.
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Can you email me so I can get your mailing address? tegbook @ hotmail.com — thanks.
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great work and amazing post congratulations
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