Every Pinwheel Matters

One of the more challenging aspects of my life after -retirement from the Salvation Army is making the decision about what I’ll wear each day. For the previous thirty-six years, I put on the Salvation Army uniform almost every day, and was overjoyed when navy blue slacks for women were finally approved for office wear. In my first few years, I even wore the Army’s bonnet on Sundays and at other formal events. Even today, my head aches thinking about it.

Now I have to remember what I wore the last time I worked with a client so I don’t repeat my outfit (as though they’d really notice). Do I have the right accessories for my ensemble? And sometimes I’ll ask myself, “Is this a purple day or a yellow day?”

On this past Wednesday, I didn’t have to choose what color to wear, because I was committed to wear blue for a cause. Here’s the message: Ohio wears blue to spread the word that child abuse is preventable.

Beyond the blue clothing, child abuse prevention is also symbolized by pinwheel gardens, planted in April throughout the country. In New York City, volunteers holding nearly 5000 pinwheels transformed Times Square into the Big Pinwheel Garden on Tuesday. Here’s what actor Josh Charles, newly resurrected from his character’s recent death on the Good Wife, had to say as he stood up for the children of our country. “I care about the welfare of the next generation,” he said. “Children are the artists, the politicians, the engineers, the doctors, the scientists of tomorrow, and I want to see all of them have the chance to lead full, productive, and safe lives.”

Don’t we all? Yet more than half a million abuse or neglect complaints are investigated each year in the United States. I don’t think there are many people who plan to abuse their baby or neglect their three-year-old. But it happens every day,

So what can we do besides wearing a blue t-shirt and spinning a pinwheel? To start, we must recognize that the well-being of children is an adult responsibility. We must pay attention and we must speak up to protect our kids. A child cannot ensure his or her own safety.  

Here’s what the experts tell us helps to prevent child abuse. A supportive family environment, the ability to nurture parenting skills and the stability of family relationships are indicators of healthy families. Adequate employment, affordable, stable housing, and access to health care and social services are factors in child abuse prevention as well. Two other factors impact all of us: the presence of caring adults outside the family who can serve as role models or mentors, and entire communities that support parents and take responsibility for preventing abuse.

Children need to know there is an adult in their life who believes in them and loves them unconditionally, and when, for whatever reason, a child’s parent cannot provide that support, it is still possible for a community to step up and stand in that gap.

Why do we bother wearing blue when it feels like a purple day? Why plant a garden of pinwheels? Because we know the truth of Jean Vanier words: “One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”

The lovely Madelyn Simone has a shiny new pinwheel this spring, and we take turns gently puffing on its petals, charmed as it spins and sparkles in the welcome sunshine. One pinwheel spinning in the hand of a small child is a whimsical touch of childhood. It is a painful truth that in an April garden of spinning pinwheels, the whimsy of childhood is overridden by the hard truth of abuse and neglect. But that garden also serves as a reminder that our community is stepping up to protect and nurture all of our children, so that every child is free from abuse and violence.