Holiday Heartbreak: Domestic Violence Knows No Season
Safe Haven Shelter, a domestic violence shelter in Texas, recently shared a heart-breaking letter that a seven-year-old boy wrote to Santa Claus; his mother found it in his backpack. The letter read in part “We had to leave our house. Dad was mad. We had to do all the chores. Mom said it was time to leave and she was taking us to a safer place where we don’t have to be scared.” The letter continued… “Are you going to come this Christmas? We don’t have any of our stuff here.” The boy then asked Santa for “some chapter books, a dictionary, a compass, a watch, and a very, very, very, good dad.” Representatives for the shelter say that this boy’s letter points out the effects domestic violence has on a family. Safe Haven Shelter reps also make the point that with kids being out of school for the Holidays, there seems to be an “uptick” of women and children seeking shelter. If YOU, or someone you know needs to escape domestic violence, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. Pass the number on to anyone you think might need it.
John Young
