A Child's Bill of Rights

A Child's Bill of Rights
I have a right to live rather than exist.

I have a right to personhood rather than being an object of possession.

I have a right to equality with every other human being regardless of age.

I have a right to be respected with regard to my own worth.

I have a right to be uniquely myself with my own identity.

I have a right to speak my thoughts and feelings, and to be heard.

I have a right to ask "why" and to receive answers.

I have a right to receive discipline without hollering, discounts and putdowns.

I have a right to be encouraged to grow to maturity at my own pace.

I have a right to be free from physical harm at the hands of resentful people.

I have a right to be loved for being me.

I have a right, with valid guidance, to think for myself, and make decisions.

I have a right to be responsible for myself.

I have a right to feel joy, happiness, sorrow, bereavement and pain.

I have a right to be a winner.

I have a right to care and be cared for, to nurture and be nurtured, to give and to receive.

I have a right to form my own convictions, beliefs and standards.

I have a right to know and experience personal freedom.

I have a right to my own body, mind and soul, and to use them in a sharing experience.

I have a right to recognize and accept the rights of others regarding their Bill of Rights.
©1975 Fred M. Fariss

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