“I will always advocate for the needs of children over the wants of adults.”
That’s not just a nice quote pinned to my Facebook page. It’s a line I’ve lived—and a truth I carry in my bones.
It sounds simple. Obvious. Who wouldn’t put children first? But if you’ve lived in the systems I’ve lived in—if you’ve survived them—you know the truth: adults come first almost every time.
Their comfort.
Their convenience.
Their control.
Their image.
Meanwhile, kids like I once was are told to wait. To be patient. To behave. To bounce between homes, carry the weight of adult mistakes, and somehow not let it show.
We excuse broken systems because they pad someone’s budget. We delay reforms because they threaten someone’s influence. We minimize trauma because it’s easier to look away. But children can’t wait for us to feel brave or figure it out. They need us now. They need adults who aren’t afraid to lose comfort, status, or control if it means a child might gain safety, stability, or love.
To put children first is to say:
I will not make peace with a system that silences the small.
I will not prioritize grown-up egos over childhood innocence.
I will not delay justice because it’s inconvenient.
As someone who grew up waiting for someone to put me first, I say this with urgency: Stop protecting the systems. Start protecting the children.
If this speaks to you, don’t just like it. Live it. Share it. Say it out loud. Let it cost you something. That’s how you know it’s real.
Let’s raise our voices for the ones who had to survive without one.
