Judgement day for the Pedophile

Today's sentencing of the Belgium pedophile who flew to Montreal to be with a 13 year old child took me really by surprise. He received a sentence in provincial jail for twenty months. That is all he got for ruining the young girl's life! He has already served one and a half months of time and will probably be out in a few months on good behavior.

The provincial penal system in Quebec does not allow a person charged with a crime to stay more that 2 years plus a day in jail. He, like any other pedophile in the provincial system will not receive treatment for his sickness. Therefore, upon his release (and I hope directly to the airport to take a flight home to his country) nothing will change for him.

I did an interview today with Global on this case. Needless to say the report was just as astounded as I was to hear the decision of the sentencing. A slap on the hand, that's it. I wondering if it had been the child or grandchild of a judge or politician...how would that of changed the sentencing?

This pedophile claimed that they were in love. How a 13 year old views love it not at all how he viewed it. She was promised a life in an Amish community where their relationship would not be judged.

My fears and concerning are the following:

1. Will the young girl get the necessary treatment she needs?
2. Will she not try to find a way to communicate with him while he is in jail?
3. Will he not scheme to get her to leave home upon his release and meet up with her out of the country? We know that many teenagers leave home by choice and are never found.
4. What message are we sending to other men or women who think that they are not pedophiles but really are about the lenient sentencing?
5. How can children and their parents be educated about predators on the Internet?
6. Why must he serve his time in Quebec? I would of much rather of seen him board that plane and serve the time in Belgium. More than likely, the sentencing there would have been more severe. It is our tax dollar that will house him.

How do you feel about the sentencing?

Disappearance - Choice or Criminal

I am often bothered by the many young adults who vanish from their homes without a moment's notice...here today and gone tomorrow. I feel so helpless when I get phone calls from the parents whose young adult child has gone missing....what can I tell them...keep the faith, be courageous during this trying time.

There is this man, a father who I have spoken to a couple of times this week. His daughter is missing. Today I said to him that sometimes a disappearance is by choice, that maybe his daughter decided to make a decision of her own and flee the family home. He understood from where I was coming from....but it really is so sad that he may never see his daughter again and may never know if she is really alive or dead. There is no closure in these types of cases.

Young females can be the prey of men whose motives are very criminal.....the promise of a good life, money, clothes , trips and drugs. Women are being sold on the black market and shipped to countries far away for slavery. Others are sent to cults.

I believe that we need to all be vigilant of our children's whereabouts and who their friends and associates are. And we need to step up to the plate aggressively if necessary no matter what age they are and get involved in any potentially serious situation.

Many of our families at AFPAD wait each day to know if their loved one is alive or if their body will be found. It's the hard dark walls that surround these families...never knowing the truth.

I would like all of you reading this blog to take a moment and reflect about those families who try each day to get out of bed and go on with their lives. At the same time, hug your loved one and be thankful that I am not writing about you and your family.

Sylvester

Our dear boy Sylvester spent the night in the hospital. The vet looked at me and said "Il vont pas bien" ( He is not doing well) I looked at her and asked "Is he going to die?" She couldn't give me a yes or no answer. I panicked....I can't relive loosing someone I love again....I know, I know...he's a cat....but still, he is part of the family and treated like one of the kids. Syl looked so sad, so helpless. He was dehydrated and very lifeless. The hospital ran many tests, gave him an IV drip and antibiotics. We are so venerable when these situations arise. We all want the best care for our pets and it all comes with a price tag. Unfortunately, medicare doesn't cover the costs.

Sylvester is different than most cats. He is part Siamese and is very afraid of the world around him. We knew that he was very sick as the doctor at the hospital said that they put him down next to a huge dog and he didn't even bat an eye. The care and attention which he received was excellent...yes we paid the price too !

He is now on the road to recovery. We did our share of praying this week. I wonder sometimes if Jules and I are really over the top when it comes to the cats. We went out today and bought Sylvester new toys. He really loves those little mouses with long tails.We also bought shampoo and a toothbrush and toothpaste. Syl has bad teeth and gingivitis. He will visit the dentist next month. Ok , Ok ....you've heard enough. I am just grateful for the love and attention which he and his sisters give us. When the chips are down and the tears are flowing, I can always count on the cats to be a listening ear.......no judgement and always unconditional love.......more than what some humans give to each other.

Lazy days of summer

The past two weeks I have been on holidays. During this time I have been relaxed, carefree and enjoying the moment. During this time off I have been thinking alot of the summers gone by of my childhood...remember when summer seemed to last forever. Those lazy days of sunshine and swimming. Not much has changed except that the days and weeks move faster and the weather can be tempermental.

I can remember Kelly-Anne and Kim's summers as little girls. They would get on their bicycles with their bags packed with towels, sunscreen and a lunch and off to the pool they would go for swimming lessons and fun. When I arrive at the pool for adult swim I sit and watch the children finishing up their lessons and wonder how many of these children will take swimming to a higher level. How many will become lifeguards? Who will consider competitive life guarding? I see the moms talking together about their children and their summer activities. Memories, memories.

I have also thought alot about my eventual retirement. Will summers be like this when I retire? If it is the case, I can't wait. Flip flops, suntans and aquafit....summer just can't be better.

Oh, and I learnt how to knit at the pool. I have made a few dishcloths...love those things. Today I played scrabble. Those lazy days of summer!

Have a safe and happy summer!

July 1st

I don't think that there is anyone who looked forward to Canada Day as much as Kelly-Anne did. I can remember her many trips up to Parliament Hill in Ottawa where she and friends would enjoy themselves to the music and activities of the day.

Kell loved her "Canada" jewellery...necklaces, face paint, flags or whatever resembled Canada.

Let's all do what Kell would do today...wave that flag proudly and be thankful for our freedom.

Happy Canada Day!