Please Don't Take My Daddy‪!‬

Every day a child is exposed to law enforcement coming into the home and handcuffing their dad and taking him away. Can you imagine what is going on in the child’s mind or the image they are developing of the officers? We need to make children understand that crime in our society does not only affect the person committing it but also affects the family. We need to reach out and take a moment to explain the real issues at hand and what the things that need to be in place in order to make a change are. Communication is the key. Children have a negative view about officers. The blame is placed on the police for doing their job. In reality, they wouldn’t be there if a crime hadn’t been committed. But at the same time, it’s important to see what effects it has on family members. Children need to be reassured that the father has an important role in the family by working with social service and the police department to work together to make something positive happen for all parties. Ricardo is a young child who is trying to cope with his dad being handcuffed and dragged away to jail. Ricardo doesn’t understand what is going on; he sees the police officers as the bad guys. Ricardo doesn’t realize that his father has broken the law and that it’s the police’s job to capture criminals and incarcerate them. Ricardo’s mom explains to him why his dad was taken away. She sets the tone that if they both keep in touch with his dad and let him know how much they love him and how they could help him after he is released, his dad would be with them forever.