You could say that we're all spoiled: Clemson fans, University of

South Carolina fans and Furman fans.

Thirty-four years ago when Clemson finished the season with a 7-4

record, the local Pepsi Cola bottling company came out with a

commemorative bottle.

A national championship in 1981 followed by several 10-win

seasons has changed the fans' perspective. Now, after two losses and

a big victory over a lessor opponent, Tiger fans are calling for the

resignation of Coach Tommy Bowden if he posts another "pitiful" 8-

win season.

Some Furman fans, although certainly not the majority, are

speaking out because the team has a 3-4 record this season, heading

into this week's game against defending Division 1-AA champions

Appalachian State. It's easy to forget that just last year the Paladins

were 8-4, and two years ago the Furman team advanced deep into

the playoffs with an 11-3 record.

South Carolina fans are mourning the Gamecocks loss to Vanderbilt,

as it came just as the team was being listed as a contender for the

national championship. Yet it was only a few years ago the team was

suffering from a 21-game losing streak.

Perhaps the fault is not with the fans of the three schools but with

human nature itself. When things improve, it's only natural to want

the improvement to continue. By setting a higher standard for

ourselves, our quality of life improves drastically.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could realistically expect such

improvement for the children of Pickens County? Unfortunately,

that's not the case. Our county remains as one of the worst in terms

of child welfare.

But there is something to cheer about. There's a group of caring

people, known at Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County, who are

dedicated to changing things for our children.

It is not enough to punish those who do harm to children. This

special organization is making an effort to prevent harm from every

happening to a child.

How?

One way is parenting classes. Unfortunately, much of child abuse is

pure ignorance, and that's not a comment about the intelligence of

those involved. People often find themselves with the reponsibility

of caring for a child when they're still not able to care for

themselves. Parenting skills, once learned in the home, are

becoming a lost art with all the broken families of today.

We can certainly cheer the efforts of this special organization. On

Sunday, Nov. 3, we can do more than offer emotional support as

Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County presents "Cheer for Children."

If we can become excited over something as meaningless as a

football game, surely we can muster the same kind of excitement for

the welfare of our children.

Let’s hope that someday we'll come to a point that we can all agree

that just one victim of child abuse in Pickens County is not

acceptable.