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SongsByMike |
It Shouldn’t Hurt To Be A Child |
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Diane Umphress, the executive director of a non-profit organization in Yuma called Amberly’s Place (www.amberlysplace.com) is a good friend of our family. Amberly’s Place is an organization that serves as an advocate for women and children in abusive situations. They provide a critical service to our community. One day she mentioned that it might be good if I could compose a song that might specifically address or champion the cause of abused children. After some time, I came up with something that I thought was pretty good. In September 2007, I took my daughter, Rachel, and some friends to the studio and this arrangement was the result. I was very pleased with the way it turned out, and it has been successfully used in presentations for Amberly’s Place. More recently it has taken on a new meaning. In April 2008, Rachel was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes on her 11th birthday. This has changed her (and our) life completely. I often tell her that she is my hero, as she has accepted this life-altering disease and daily administers 3 to 5 injections to herself and dutifully monitors her diet. In July of 2009 she and I attended a weekend camp at Camp Conrad-Chinnock (www.dys.org) in the San Berardino Mountains for families with diabetic children. It was an opportunity for me to learn more about the disease and how to best help Rachel and my wife Nicole, as they are the ones that mostly deal with the day-to-day struggles. It also gave Rachel a chance be in an environment where her situation was not the exception, but rather the norm. It was only three days, but the staff was fabulous and it was simply a marvelous experience, as we made friends with other families who are experiencing similar challenges. During the camp, I kept thinking about this song. The message seemed to fit in with everything they were about. After we returned home, I decided to send a recording of it to Rocky Wilson, the executive director and others of the staff and offered it to them for use in their campfires or fund-raising or any other way they might see fit. They immediately contacted me and were excited about it. They wanted Rachel and me to consider performing it live at their annual fund-raising dinner on October 3, 2009 in Anaheim. Long story short, we agreed to do it and are involved in striking up interest and funds for the event. This type of fund-raising is something I do not normally do, but Diabetic Youth Services is a top-notch organization and its purposes and goals now really hit home with us. So listen to the song, and go check out www.dys.org and I encourage you to contact us or them and provide your support for this worthy cause. Thanks.
By Michael D. Squires
Hopscotch, jump rope, Hide & Seek, stars through a telescope, Doll houses, pretend time, Riding our bikes in endless days of sunshine.
If this was our childhood, how grateful we should be To those who have helped us get through it properly.
But what of our children that now walk in our place? Is childhood now shorter because of what they have to face?
It shouldn’t hurt to be a child, let them stay there a while; But they must feel safe, in their innocence. Let them find out who they are, then they can go so far; For now, they just need us to let them be a child.
But what of our children that now walk in our place? Is childhood now shorter because of what they have to face?
Generations of tomorrow, Need us to stop the pain and sorrow, And see the challenge that lies before us, And join our voices as we sing this chorus:
It shouldn’t hurt to be a child, let them stay there a while; But they must feel safe, in their innocence. Let them find out who they are, then they can go so far; For now, they just need us to let them be a child.
It shouldn’t hurt to be a child, let them stay there a while; But they must feel safe, in their innocence. Let them find out who they are, then they can go so far; For now, they just need us to let them be a child.
Hopscotch, jump rope, Hide & Seek, stars through a telescope, Doll houses, pretend time, Riding our bikes in endless days of sunshine. |
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It Shouldn’t Hurt To Be A Child |
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Words and Music by Michael D. Squires |
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