It was a warm August morning, the day my children and I arrived in Woodsfield, Ohio. At first glance the village resembled what many of you may remember as the 1960s television program called �the Andy Griffith Show�. Like Mayberry, it appeared to be a clean, quiet little country community, with very little traffic. It reminded me of the type place where everyone cares and respects each other. You know what I�m talking about. The simple little country town where you would never expect that they would look down their nose at the less fortunate. Well� unfortunately for us, the Village of Woodsfield turned out to be far from the Mayberry first impression it cast. Actually, now that I�m here, I know that outsiders aren�t welcome, so it�s begun to resemble HELL!

You see, for two and a half years, I have sat back and watched as my family has been picked apart. I have taken mental note of all the derogatory, sarcastic looks and responses that we have received from members of this community. For the record, there is only one term to describe such behavior; the word is ethnocentrism. Now, for those of you that are unfamiliar with university language, a Yale University, Political and Social Science professor Graham Summer coined the term �ethnocentrism�. It refers to the emotionally abusive actions of one (or more) people, who judge others according to their own standards, instead of taking the time to completely understand the person as a unique and worthy individual. Such a phenomea occures when people experiance what is known as "culture shock" or events outside �their� norm. But then, what is the so called �norm� in today�s society? It changes so much can we even describe it?

The fact is we live in America; the melting pot, where our society is made up of a collage of different heritage, culture, and traditions. If anything, Americans should have grown more open-minded when faced with change by now. I mean look back over the last hundred years. What do you see? I know what I see. I see a society that is going ballistic over today�s youth. They believe that the saggy pants and over sized tee shirts wearing kids today are gang affiliated. This is simply not true. These kids are no different from those of you that were rebels in your own time. So quit casting preverbal stones because I know each and every generation has been touched by fashion change, change that has shaped the fashion industries time after time. I�m talking about the �greasers� who slicked back their hair, wore jeans and white tee shirts in the 50s. I�m talking about the longhaired, bell-bottom wearing, do it all in the name of peace, flower children that smoked weed (among other things) in the 60s. I�m talking about the 80�s rock-n-roller that probably still wishes parachute pants and cut off shirts that showed everything was in fashion. I�m talking about the same type of double standards that every American child faces as they attempt to declare their independence! I�m talking about a society that is judging my children and my family without ever given us a chance! I�m talking about hypocrisy!

The fact is, for years I had struggled as a single mother, trying to provide what I thought was best for my children. My efforts have included moving them from one place to another, and this move was yet another attempt at �progress�; a term that I know from experience requires dedication, and patience. In other words, I�m not saying that I am perfect, or that I consider our lives so far a complete failure. What I am saying is that after two years worth of psychology courses, I felt much better equipped to face life�s challenges. Matter a fact; it was my college level training that taught me three years ago that Seattle life was far from what I wanted my children to experience. Therefore, desperate times called for desperate measures. With out second thought, I made a decision to take my children back to simplicity, which is why I chose a rural community, in Monroe County, Ohio.

You see, I�ve lived in my share of small communities. I know how a town this size can influence a child�s self-esteem and most the time the effects are positive. However, this is not happening here. Instead of following the �golden rule�, many of you prefer to spend your time gossiping and spreading rumors. Personally, I don�t feel the need to publish names. Instead, I wish to single out some of the rumors that I�ve heard about. For instance, some of you think that because I have children running in and out of my house, that my home is a �drug or skank� house. For your information, this is NOT true. IF you had taken the time to get to know me, you would see that I am a woman who will assist anyone, especially a child. Actually, I am a �street MoM� to over 200 children, and I have spent the past 15+ years informally performing social work duties for children and adults of all ages; including but not limited to working with runaways, abused children, delinquents�, the homeless, and other families who were at risk. Academically, I have already completed 115 credits toward my bachelor�s degree in Applied Psychology, because I hope to eventually secure a position with the federal prison system. Not to mention the fact that I am a suicide interventionist, who possesses numerous reference letters, and awards. In other words, feel free to stop by, we�ll have coffee and I�ll show you my pedigree. Maybe you will learn something or even better, maybe you will make a friend. You see, I�m proud of who I am, because I know that I center my life around helping others over come life�s challenges; even when those challenges consists of heart ache that is caused by a community that doesn�t want to change.

In closing, I want to convey that I will no longer be tolerating the abusive behaviors of those around me. You see gossip, when derogatory, is slander. Slander and bullies that commit it, are what causes children like13-year-old Megan Meier from Dardenne Prairie, Missouri to hang herself in 2006. It�s also what caused Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold from Columbine High School to open fire, killing 13 and wounding 23 in 1999. Unfortunately, they didn�t realize that slander is punishable when the victim chooses to pursue it., which for the record, I am! Therefore, before you listen to the wild acquisitions, please (for your sake and others) be a good neighbor and seek the truth. Don�t allow your own ethnocentric thoughts cloud your judgment. THINK before you commit slander and hurt others. After all, you wouldn�t want the effects of this to happen to your family.

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