Protection through Education

Good Morning Divas!!!

Happy 1st of December to you all. Since being home on maternity leave, these months sure seem to be flying by. It seems like October was just here and I was bringing my little diva home to join our family.  The past 7 weeks have been full of so much love, some tears (on her part and mine...LOL), diapers, feedings, and (thankfully) not so many sleepless nights!

Being home these past couple of months have given me a chance to catch up on my daytime TV and I have to admit that I am a CNN junkie :) Perhaps it's the postpartum hormones, but much of what I see has caused me to really reflect on what type of world my children will live in when they are my age.  It's up to us to educate them and make positive impacts in their lives.  We can't leave it all up to their schools or the communities, because they will come up extremely short.

Today is World AIDS Day.  My children will most likely never know a world without AIDS - even though its a wonderful goal to work towards.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently spoke about her goal for "creating an AIDS free generation" - one where no children are born with the virus and as they grow up the risk of contracting HIV is far lower than it is today and if, by chance, they do contract the virus there will be treatment available to keep them from acquiring AIDS and passing the virus on to others.

In the 30 years that AIDS has had a name and the "fight" against it began.  In the US nearly 1 million people are living with HIV and 1 in 5 don't even know it.  There are over 16,000 AIDS related deaths annually in our country.  Those numbers are staggering to me.  The number of new cases has remained stable which I still find disturbing.  Yes, I'm glad the numbers are drastically rising, but with the focus on safe sex and AIDS awareness in our schools and communities - it seems we are quite a ways from Secretary of State Clinton's goal.

As a parent, it is my job, my responsibility to protect my children by making them aware of AIDS and what they must do to protect themselves.  In a society where sex is so prevalent among our young people, I (as well as other parents, caregivers and loved ones) have to make it a passion to protect them by educating them.  My hope is that you all do the same with those around you - in your homes, in your churches, in your communities, etc.

The first step is knowing your status and protecting yourself.  You can send a text message with your ZIP to KNOWIT (566948) or visit HIVtest.org if you need information on how to find an HIV testing center.

Be Blessed Divas!!! And remember to be a blessing to others.

~Michelle