Okay, I can hear dozens of fans out there groaning. No I did not put in any romance between Arnold and Helga. Personally, I don't hold to the true love fixes all theory. However, I didn't rule out the possibility. Just because they are just friends right now, doesn't mean they will always be. Or perhaps they will grow up and get married to other people, and just remain friends all their lives. The future is up to the minds of those who read this. That's the great thing about life. You never, ever know what will happen in the future.
This was a fictional story, of course, based on fictional characters you all know and love. However, the situation of abuse is real in thousands of homes all over the world. It's said that more children under the age of four die from abuse than any other cause. Child abuse takes a number of forms, mental, physical, sexual and emotional, and is extememly distructive. To read more about what child abuse is, and how it affects children and the adults they grow to be, follow this link.
http://www.heart-healing.com/1child_abuse.html
Children are not the only ones who are abused, either. Marital abuse is on the rise, and it's not only the wives being abused. Many times people don't even recognize things like verbal and mental assault as abuse, though these are just as deadly. If you or anyone you know is suffering from any kind of abuse, you need to get help. Every situation is different, but the basic idea is to get away from the abuser. One of the most important things is to tell someone. It's recommended that you first tell someone you trust, but if this is not a possibility for any reason, there are a number of hotlines and support groups who are ready and willing to walk you through each step of the process. Here are just a few national hotlines*. There are also local hotlines set up, but I could not possibly list them all here.
NATIONAL ABUSE HOTLINES:
NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE- 1-800-422-4453
BATTERED WOMEN'S HOTLINE- 1-800-992-2600
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE- 1-800-799-SAFE
NATIONAL CRISIS HOTLINE- 1-866-334-4357
NATIONAL TEEN HOTLINE- 1-888-747-8336
(though not neccessarily related to abuse, these deserve to be here.)
DEPRESSION HOTLINE- 1-800-551-0008
SUICIDE HOTLINE- 1-800-784-2433
These are only a few of the numbers out there. Incidentally if you do a search on hotlines, you will find more about any problem than you can imagine. Below are the sites I got this information off of. Most of what is in the story is based on personal observation or study on the subject. I truly hope that I've treated this with the seriousness it deserves. If anyone would like any further information, please let me know. I'll tell you what I can.
In any case I want to say "thank you" to everyone who has read this far, whether or not you reviewed. If you have any problems or quiestions, please contact me. I'd like to know if there's anything I can improve upon for the future. And for those of you who are, or know someone who is in a bad situation, know that there are those who understand.
____
*These numbers are only in the U.S. There are international hotlines available as well.
I got my hotline information from these sites:
http://www.eapage.com/800.htm - If you can think of it, it's here. Support hotlines for abuse, disease, families, etc. A great one stop site for a lot of numbers, including international numbers.
http://suicidehotlines.com/national.html - For information on suicide, and hotlines for adults and teens who are considering suicide.
http://www.heart-healing.com/ - mainly a site on child and marital abuse. This site is run by the people of Maryland, and has a good amount of local information as well as national. They also have local listings for other states.
http://www.vachss.com/help_text/hotlines_intl.html - This is a site for international hotlines.
This was a fictional story, of course, based on fictional characters you all know and love. However, the situation of abuse is real in thousands of homes all over the world. It's said that more children under the age of four die from abuse than any other cause. Child abuse takes a number of forms, mental, physical, sexual and emotional, and is extememly distructive. To read more about what child abuse is, and how it affects children and the adults they grow to be, follow this link.
http://www.heart-healing.com/1child_abuse.html
Children are not the only ones who are abused, either. Marital abuse is on the rise, and it's not only the wives being abused. Many times people don't even recognize things like verbal and mental assault as abuse, though these are just as deadly. If you or anyone you know is suffering from any kind of abuse, you need to get help. Every situation is different, but the basic idea is to get away from the abuser. One of the most important things is to tell someone. It's recommended that you first tell someone you trust, but if this is not a possibility for any reason, there are a number of hotlines and support groups who are ready and willing to walk you through each step of the process. Here are just a few national hotlines*. There are also local hotlines set up, but I could not possibly list them all here.
NATIONAL ABUSE HOTLINES:
NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE- 1-800-422-4453
BATTERED WOMEN'S HOTLINE- 1-800-992-2600
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE- 1-800-799-SAFE
NATIONAL CRISIS HOTLINE- 1-866-334-4357
NATIONAL TEEN HOTLINE- 1-888-747-8336
(though not neccessarily related to abuse, these deserve to be here.)
DEPRESSION HOTLINE- 1-800-551-0008
SUICIDE HOTLINE- 1-800-784-2433
These are only a few of the numbers out there. Incidentally if you do a search on hotlines, you will find more about any problem than you can imagine. Below are the sites I got this information off of. Most of what is in the story is based on personal observation or study on the subject. I truly hope that I've treated this with the seriousness it deserves. If anyone would like any further information, please let me know. I'll tell you what I can.
In any case I want to say "thank you" to everyone who has read this far, whether or not you reviewed. If you have any problems or quiestions, please contact me. I'd like to know if there's anything I can improve upon for the future. And for those of you who are, or know someone who is in a bad situation, know that there are those who understand.
____
*These numbers are only in the U.S. There are international hotlines available as well.
I got my hotline information from these sites:
http://www.eapage.com/800.htm - If you can think of it, it's here. Support hotlines for abuse, disease, families, etc. A great one stop site for a lot of numbers, including international numbers.
http://suicidehotlines.com/national.html - For information on suicide, and hotlines for adults and teens who are considering suicide.
http://www.heart-healing.com/ - mainly a site on child and marital abuse. This site is run by the people of Maryland, and has a good amount of local information as well as national. They also have local listings for other states.
http://www.vachss.com/help_text/hotlines_intl.html - This is a site for international hotlines.