A little girl broke my heart.
Yesterday while perusing the Snag Films website, I ran across a documentary called “Autumn’s Eyes.” It sounded familiar and when I looked at the credits I knew why. Last year I had the opportunity to attend a 2-day film workshop for teachers and one of the presenters was Gabriel Noble, director of “Autumn’s Eyes.”
“Autumn’s Eyes” follows a little girl’s family as they deal with abject poverty, her teenaged mother’s incarcerations, and a grandmother who’s trying hard to hold it all together.
"take a look at my life, see what i've seen"
This film broke me down. Within ten minutes, I was in tears, the weight of this little girl’s life and what she’s been forced to deal with was too painful to watch. But I couldn’t stop.
I couldn’t help comparing Autumn to my son. They both have an incarcerated parent and have visited jails/prisons more than any child should ever have to. But they are very different. Unlike my son, Autumn knows exactly where her mother is, has seen her in handcuffs, knows how many years she is facing, and the ins and outs of her crime. Keep in mind this child is only three. While I am amazed at how brilliant this little girl is, I hurt for her. She knows too much too soon. And it’s heartbreaking that she has had to grow up so quickly.
Thinking of children like Autumn and my son, always makes me want to do more to help children of inmates. The stigma attached to having a loved one in prison can be crushing. For three years I blogged anonymously, because I didn’t want to be too exposed, too open to other’s judgments. But this is my life. I cannot change it and my son doesn’t deserve to be made to feel he is any less than anyone else simply because his dad is in prison.
Aproximately 1.5 children have an incarcerated parent. Help them have a wonderful Christmas.
This year I am going to donate a gift to Angel Tree and I encourage you to do the same. With over 2 million people in jails and prisons, it’s estimated that over 1.5 children have one or more parents incarcerated. I can attest that holding a family together and making sure the bonds stay intact is tough. The system doesn’t make it easy and many children haven’t seen their parent, let alone received a gift from them in quite some time. SO I’m giving back. My son is blessed to have parents who are committed to keeping the bonds alive, and I’m blessed with a job that enables him to not want for anything. Some people, like Autumn and her family, aren’t as lucky. So I’m going to help bridge that gap—at least for Christmas.
Won’t you join me?
For more information on how you can donate gifts (or money) to help the children of inmates stay connected to their parents this holiday season, check out the Angel Tree website.
*Watch the complete documentary, “Autumn’s Eyes,” here.
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