"Don't you let go Mr Frodo"

We watched LOTR " The return of the king" last night but I wasn't paying too much attention except when this sentence came up because it matched my thoughts. I went to my daughter's classroom to help make gingerbread houses yesterday and a little girl told me her mom hits her. I knew about it already because in September, during a field trip, she proceeded to tell in the car how her foster "dad" was beating her, yelling at her and told her she was ugly and dumb every day. Of course I went to see the teacher and the principal and the little girl and her mom are now reunited and are getting a lot of help in every area possible. And I thought she was doing better but it appears she is not, not really...Another year, I was helping a 9 year old girl with her salt dough map when she blurted out that her dad was beating her mom and her real hard sometimes. And another year when I asked a little boy why he was pushing and hitting all the time, he simply told me that was the way it worked in his house. Or this other little boy who was acting out so badly in kindergarten and collapsed in my arms sobbing so hard when instead of scolding him I asked him what was wrong. I can't do much for them, nothing much except the most basic: show kindness, hug and praise. I don't give a damn that their gingerbread house is crooked and that they don't write their name well because everyday they have to make the choice of not letting go. And I know what I'm talking about. It's important to know that you can be better than your parents were. If you don't let go. And that, you have to work at it every single day for the rest of your life. I wish to everybody who feels unloved and abandonned, much love and happiness in their future life. And a hug to boot.