u003cpu003eBy Claire Louge, Executive Directoru003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eImagine that you're in a public restroom. After you use the facilities, you realize there is no toilet paper in your stall. You hear two people washing their hands at the sink. Do you ask them for help?u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eI use this scenario in my trainings about connecting families to resources. This exercise gets people thinking about how hard it can be to ask for help. Even a simple, understandable human chu003ca href=u0022https://pcaaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/pexels-photo-3959482.jpegu0022u003eu003cimg class=u0022size-medium wp-image-9514 alignrightu0022 src=u0022https://pcaaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/pexels-photo-3959482.jpegu0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022240u0022 height=u0022300u0022 /u003eu003c/au003eallenge like asking someone for TP can feel awkward and vulnerable.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eThe coronavirus pandemic has expanded the toilet paper metaphor. TP has become a perfect symbol for resources.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eLast week, my household was nearly out of toilet paper. We'd been checking our nearest grocery stores every day, but the shelves were always empty. I didn't want to ask anyone if they could spare a roll for me – not in a time when toilet paper was scarce. But I also didn't want to need to come up with creative alternatives to TP.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eThankfully, I didn't have to.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eI got a text from a neighbor who I had met last year at the gym. When we met, she had asked for my card after I told her what I did for a living, but we had never connected until now. Her text read:u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003e“Claire, I was cleaning my desk and I found your card. Just wanted to say that if you need anything, do not hesitate to call or visit. These are trying times so we need to stick together. I can spare some TP, food, and whatever else you can think of.”u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eI took her up on the TP.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eMy heroic neighbor made it easy for me to ask for and receive help. Why? She was specific and proactive. She was clear in what she was offering, and she reached out to offer before she was asked.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eOne of the ways we can all help prevent child abuse is by assisting families in accessing what they need. In a time of crisis, like the one we are experiencing now, more families will need more help. Like my neighbor, to most effectively help families, u003cstrongu003ewe must be proactive and specificu003c/strongu003e.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eWe all need help sometimes, because it turns out, much of our life is out of our control. What we can control, however, are our choices. When we choose to help families proactively and specifically, we're protecting children.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eThanks to all the great neighbors ou003ca href=u0022https://pcaaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/woman-in-a-video-call-with-a-covid-19-patient-4031710.jpgu0022u003eu003cimg class=u0022size-medium wp-image-9513 alignleftu0022 src=u0022https://pcaaz.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/woman-in-a-video-call-with-a-covid-19-patient-4031710.jpgu0022 alt=u0022u0022 width=u0022300u0022 height=u0022200u0022 /u003eu003c/au003eut there.u003c/pu003ernu003cpu003eu0026nbsp;u003c/pu003e
