Hollow Childhood
It’s true that a tree can continue to stand, even grow, with a hollow trunk. A child can too – at least to outside appearances. Functional in the household, schoolroom, and even in the workplace as a grownup. But, if they have no way to communicate their innermost thoughts, to interact with others at a heart level, to be involved with a community of people having similar experiences, they remain hollow. They may become hosts for others, as hollow trees do, but have no “self” of their own.
Hollow trees often become homes to forest animals. Deaf children are easy victims to those who would take advantage of someone who cannot speak up for themselves. They live just outside the range of random family information and the sense of belonging that is built on stories told around the dinner table and during holidays. They are inadvertently taught that they’ll never be capable of independent thought and action. Some rebel against this and make choices no rational person would advise, some surrender to the idea and remain enslaved to the voices of authority around them. A few find a healthy Deaf community, usually in their teen years or later, where they can thrive…yet, as we’re learning from counselors, they still have to deal with the emotional and psychological issues of a hollow childhood.
At Silent Blessings, we want to find and feed these children with the knowledge and love of Jesus. We want to help their families and churches understand their need for communication, for belonging, and mostly, for a faith that will keep them fulfilled and sturdy — not hollow.