If This Were My Child

Every single day I’m asked to share things with my readers. From the latest amazing software to the latest amazing butt cream, corporate shills bombard me with the same patronizing email scripts.

It starts out with a statement of how much they love reading my blog, which is the only part I believe. Then, after they’ve softened me up with some truth, they explain how they’d like to ‘partner’ with me and bless my readers with their amazing new [insert product here].

At face value, it sounds intriguing, because partnering usually means sharing in the reward. But in their world, partnering means giving them freebie exposure in exchange for them allowing me to share their awesomeness. All they want in return is a smattering of links back to their website.

Seems fair.

They get free exposure, relevant back links, and the attention of my readers in exchange for…hmmm…well, to be honest, I’m not really sure what I get in exchange. Lost innocence? An uptick in my naivety rating? Bamboozled?

Not on my watch.

Tonight, I read a plea to share something with my readers and it’s a call I had no hesitation in answering. For it has nothing to do with the latest and greatest, nothing to do with a new craze in butt paste, and nothing to do with gadgets no one needs. Instead, it’s about bringing two little girls home to their families.

Stay with me.

I realize that this is about the point in a child abduction plea where many people tune out the story. Whether it brings too much pain and angst to want to continue or they’ve simply become desensitized to the nature of the tragedy, I’m urging you to read on.

Sadly, child abductions and missing children have become such a commonplace that they barely garner a blip on the mainstream media’s radar any more. With an outpouring of public support and a dramatic enough ‘whodunit’ storyline, some abductions are covered, but they can only remain a headline for so long. It’s not the media’s fault. With thousands of missing children, none less important than another, it’s impossible for the media to keep a rolling tab on all of the investigations and searches.

But as bloggers and as people immersed in social media, we’re not confined to the reach and accounts of traditional media. We ARE media. Even though these girls live in Iowa, even though I live 930 miles away, and even though I can’t partake in the actual search, I still have power.

So in exchange for me saving you the hassle of enduring pimped out creams and tech gadgets, I’m going to ask that you at least read the following. And if you can spread the word via Twitter or Facebook, all the better.

I wish I could do this for every child being kept away from their own families against their will, but I’d rather do something than nothing. I’d rather not say that because I can’t help them all, I won’t try helping anyone. This story gripped me and I can only imagine the tireless fight and journey I’d embark on if this were my child.

If this were my child, I’d never want the media coverage to end.

If this were my child, I’d never want anyone to forget.

If this were my child, I’d never want anyone to dismiss the call.

If this were my child, I’d never give up, never give in, and never lose hope.

The least I can do for these parents is put myself in their shoes if only for a minute. Doing this…imagining my child being snatched and held by a monster I can only envision…conjures up a mix of helplessness and fear. Yet even with the pit that exists in my stomach when I truly imagine if this were my child, I realize it’s only a fraction of their painful reality.

Of little comfort is this excerpt from a recent report:

FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault said authorities “feel strongly” that 10-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey and 8-year-old Elizabeth Collins have not been killed. She refused to say what led authorities to that conclusion, but urged anyone with information about their disappearance to contact law enforcement.

“We believe these girls are alive, and we are not discouraged by the passage of time since their disappearance,” Breault said. “We are urging anyone with information to come forward. Any information, as insignificant as it may seem, could be vital to this investigation.”

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/07/21/4122803/authorities-refocus-efforts-to.html#storylink=cpy

You never know which poster will lead to the tip that leads to their rescue. So in the hope that others will answer the same call, I’m posting several of them here, courtesy of Jenna from For the Love of Baby.

Click any of the following to view in full size

The kidnapper(s) need to know that the hunt will never end. I’m hoping that with a massive outpouring of exposure and a $50,000 reward that we’ll be one step closer to them coming home. And for that reason, I want to do what little I can from afar. If enough people follow suit, we’ll have collectively been responsible for that one poster that led to that one tip that brought them both back into the loving embrace of their parents.

I know I’d want nothing less from my surrounding community if this were my child, and with social media bringing communities together from across the nation, I feel it’s the least I can do.

The reality of all this is as heartbreaking as it is senseless, and I need no more motivation than the sobering thought of what I’d do…

…if this were my child.

Let’s bring them home.

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