FIve Reasons to Make Your Home a Safe Haven for Kids

 I want my home to be a haven for my own kids and for the other kids in our neighborhood.  Here are five reasons I think it's important to create a safe haven in your home:

1) Kids have fewer and fewer safe places to spend their time.  Why not open your home as a place they can safely play, explore, learn, grow, and be nurtured in a loving environment.

2) Your neighborhood will be a friendlier, warmer place to be- because often your neighbors will follow suit and open their homes and yards to one another.

3) Your own children will want to be in your home more, knowing that all are welcome and that they can have friends and family over at anytime.

4) Your home will be more fun!  I love the sounds of kids at play in our house.  When they one day leave the house, I know the quiet I now so often crave will seem deafeningly silent.

5) You never know when a child in your neighborhood is hurting.  You could make a life changing difference in someone's life just by having a few available snacks and toys, a laid back attitude about making a mess,  and an open door policy.  Here's one inspiring story about a neighbor who rescued two young girls from the sexual abuse they endured at the hands of their brothers and father.  Whenever I think about this story, I get chills.  You can make a difference in your neighborhood!