Love and family are essential aspects that influence a child’s characteristics, perspectives, and mindset. Taking these two factors away from the picture, would a little kid figure out and survive this harsh world?
Kids are meant to be loved, nurtured, and guided. Parents, who were once children, knew these obligations. Unfortunately, some individuals tend to forget the weight of the responsibilities of starting a family and raising a child. Thus, many were raised in an unlikely environment and in a home that doesn’t feel like home at all. Having a perfect family is the dream of many. That’s why there are a lot of individuals who do their best to fill the gaps in their lives that their beloveds failed to take care of.
The Innocent Eyes of a Child by Trea Jackson is a story about finding hope in the darkest times and not giving up regardless of the countless heartbreak until a home is found. Thus, it focuses on the tale of a little girl, Brighteyes, born in a dysfunctional and abusive family. Instead of showering her with love, nurturing, and support, she was abused and abandoned. The event leads her to be part of the foster care system.
Moreover, the story is told from the protagonist’s eyes, which makes it more heartfelt and impactful. A foster child’s struggles, thoughts, and emotions were highlighted that remarkably give the readers a glimpse of the foster care system. The foster parenting didn’t go well as expected, so Brighteyes developed the flying away as a coping mechanism to be free from another abuse and agony. There are also a handful of unfortunate and painful events that she has to go through, such as mistreatment, betrayal, failures, and disappointments. Regardless of the challenges, her hopes of finding a home are still burning brightly.
About the Author
Trea Jackson turned her personal experiences into a promising survival biography. According to Trea, “I was abused by the adults in my life in every way. I was manipulated by these very same people. My abuse went on for years without any real relief. The teachers, police officers, and neighbors never rescued me.” Illinois Department and Children Services served as her aid from her abusers twice. The first one was a temporary rescuing while the second one was for good. The foster care system was new to her, and she thought that she was indeed saved. However, it turns out that it wasn’t a haven, but it’s where the real journey starts.
Jumping from one foster home to another, Jackson found herself under the spell of manipulation, mistreatment, and abuse. The trauma starts to grow bigger, especially that she has no shoulder to lean on. But, amid all these downfalls, writing was there to keep her together and offer her relief. She was seven years old when she began writing, and most of her stories are about loving families and beautiful endings. From writing fantasies, she hops on to more realistic stories. That’s when she got the courage to write about the real events in her life. Her writings somehow eased the pain and helped her survive foster care.
Jackson found writing as her avenue to escape the hard reality, release her intense emotions, and let out her raging thoughts. It was a way of survival, a safe haven, a refuge. Hence, she aims that her works promote awareness, inspiration, and help for children like her.
“My motive for writing these books for the book series was all about helping the abused children and foster children. This is especially true for the children who never found love in the foster care system. Many children just get trapped in this kind of living. My goal was clear as I heard the endless stories of other children being abused by their biological and foster parents that a reform was needed.” – Trea Jackson