On Monday, I will start a new career with the Department of Child Services. I will work with abused and neglected children – children whom many Americans have showed they don’t care about, as they just chose a xenophobic, racist, misogynistic, ableist, homophobic bigot over a women who built her career fighting for children like those I serve.
So today, I am making a promise – and I’m publishing it on the internet because saying things out loud makes you more likely to stick to them – to the children whom I am about to go to work and fight for.
To my children – I vow that I will never, EVER, stop fighting for you. I will go to the ends of the earth for you. Because YOU MATTER. No matter what your family, your state, or your country says to you, YOU ARE IMPORTANT. YOU ARE ENOUGH. I will fight for your right to live in a home with family who will support you. I will fight for your right to quality healthcare. I will fight for your right to stay in with your family, should someone else decide that your parents shouldn’t live here.
To my girls – I vow that I will fight for you to live with someone who sees your worth as a whole person. Someone who does not take advantage of you, or hurt you, in any way. I will fight so that your mothers know that they can be enough for you. I will fight so that you receive the best possible education, because I know that you will be the next ones to step up to the battle.
To my boys – I vow that I will fight so that you will live with someone who respects your sisters and mothers. I will fight so that you are surrounded by other men who see your value, and show you that you should respect all people-regardless of their gender.
To my trans, non-binary, gay, lesbian, bi, pan, and asexual kids, and any other kid who feels like they do not fit into our society’s binaries of gender and sexuality – I vow to fight so that you will live with people who recognize your strengths, your brilliance, and most of all, respect your identity. I will fight so that your family loves and cares for you exactly as you are. Because you are enough. And you matter.
To my children of color – I vow that I will fight so that you know that you are just as important, just as wonderful, and just as valuable as any white child in this country. I will fight so that you are not overlooked by a system that wants to beat you down. I will fight so that you are surrounded with the support you need to grow up into the incredible person I know you will become.
To my non-Christian children – I vow that I will fight so that you are not belittled by your peers or foster family for what you believe. I will fight so that you know that your religion – and your parents’ religion – is more than what others tell you. That in your heart, you have the capacity to be a genuinely good person, and you can use your religion to guide that light. I vow that should you be moved out of your family’s care, you will be placed in a family that knows and respects your beliefs before you come to stay with them.
To my differently abled children – I vow that I will fight so that your family understands your needs and takes care of you the way you should be cared for. I will fight so that you will always have access to quality healthcare. I will fight so that your family understands that your differences do not make you a burden, they make you unique. And to my children with mental illnesses, I vow that I will fight so that your whole family understands what’s going on in your brain. I will fight so that your family knows that your illnesses are not a weakness, and that asking for help will only make you stronger. I will fight so that you grow up in a world where no-one ever tells you that you are stupid, or overly dramatic, or insert stereotype about mental illness here. You matter. You are enough. Your existence is enough for me to fight for.
To my mothers – I vow that I will fight so that you never feel like you are trapped in a relationship with an abuser. I will fight so that you will not be forced to stay with a partner who treats you like a lesser human. I vow that I will fight so you and your children can lead happy and comfortable lives. And I vow that I will fight so that you will never feel like you have no other option but to raise a child with an abusive partner. And if you are a woman who loves another woman and wants to help raise a child-I vow that I will fight so that every person in this country sees you as a valuable and wonderful parent.
To my fathers – I vow that in this age of toxic masculinity and rigid gender roles, I will fight so that you are able to be a father to your kids. I vow that I will fight for your rights as a parent. I vow that I will testify on the side of truth, and will not give in to society’s expectation that you are the only one to blame. And again, if you are a man who loves another man and wants to help raise a child-I will fight so that you, too, are seen as a valuable and wonderful parent.
To the children and families of Indiana – I will fight for you. I will never stop fighting for you.
Love,
Aubrey
Thoughts and Flowers 