Matilda…everyone’s favorite little girl!

by Taryn Stark and Maggy McDaniel

Whether we fell in love with Matilda as parents watching the movie with our children, or as children ourselves, most of us love the little girl! She is innovative and driven, intelligent and compassionate. Who wouldn’t love such a well-behaved and devoted daughter? Matilda, however, is an exception to the rule. Raised in an indifferent and clearly unloving family, Matilda proves to be an exception to the rule of an abused and neglected child. In 2007, 80% of 21 year-olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder (more details found here: http://www.childhelp.org/resources/learning-center/statistics). Though this statistic is bleak, it does reflect the reality of the world in which we live.

Child abuse is not solely defined as physically harming one’s child, as many people today are inclined to believe. Child maltreatment is illustrated in a number of different ways, some of which include neglect, physical abuse, psychological abuse or emotional abuse and are all produced as a result of acts or omissions of acts by parents or caregivers.

At The Villages, we strive to not only lower the unfortunate reality of child abuse, but also to eliminate it all together. We believe that one-on-one personal devotion and love are the most positively influential things that a child can receive. Our vision is that every child we serve will flourish in a healthy, nurturing self-sufficient family. We hold that this kind of love and affection can be found most abundantly through foster-care and adoption, not institutions. As such, we are dedicated to servicing Indiana’s children to the best of our ability.