It is a cycle.

Children grow in a home where the parents have poor skills in raising a family. More often than not, this is not totally the fault of the parents, as they grew up in a similar situation, and never witnessed anybody performing such skills.

These children grow up to become adults. They have no parenting skills because they grew up in an abusive home. They, in turn, produce a poor home life for their own children.

And the cycle continues.

We generally think of child abuse as a vicious crime, where somebody takes pleasure in causing pain to an innocent victim. That does happen. Thankfully, we have prisons for people who are that sick.

But more often child abuse is more the product of ignorance, in the most direct definition of the word. Many parents do not know how to raise children safely, and set up abusive situations simply because they do not know any better. They only know what the witness themselves as children.

It is not a matter of people not loving their children, nor wanting what is best for them. It is a matter of them not knowing where to turn for help in providing a happy home atmosphere for their children.

Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County understands this. They do not judge people. They choose instead to help people. They approach clients with the idea of “What can we do to help you raise your child?”

They provide programs, such as WINGS, which helps young parents learn valuable skills.

Unfortunately, girls often find themselves pregnant before they are truly adults themselves. Rather than approaching the situation with a finger pointing at the young girls, Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County offer open, loving arms, trying to make the best of a bad situation.

Parents who accept help from Prevent Child Abuse Pickens County are certainly not evil. In fact, they should be commended for reaching out for help to make sure their children have a safe and happy home life.

The Ride for the Child last Saturday featured hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts traveling the mountain roads of Pickens County in support of the mission of Prevent Child Abuse. The number of participants in the ride is an indication of how important the mission of Prevent Child Abuse is to the people of the county, and the confidence they have in those who have accepted this special mission.