"Bright Bags"
When law enforcement responds to a domestic violence call, children are often left sitting in the middle of chaos.
Bright Bags give them something to hold onto in that moment.
for Children at
Domestic Violence Scenes
They called it a "Bright Bag.”
I didn’t know what was happening.
I just knew it was loud again.
The yelling started before the sirens.
It always does.
Doors slamming.
Something breaking.
Mom crying.
His voice getting louder and louder.
I tried to stay quiet.
I tried to stay small.
Then the lights came through the window.
Red and blue flashing on the walls.
Sirens getting closer.
That’s when everything gets worse.
More voices.
Radios crackling.
Commands.
Questions.
People moving fast.
I don’t know where to look.
I don’t know what to do.
No one is talking to me.
I just sit there.
Waiting.
Then someone kneels down in front of me.
Not yelling.
Not rushing.
They hand me a bag.
They call it a "Bright Bag".
I don’t really understand what’s happening…
but I open it.
Crayons.
Activity book.
A fidget toy.
Something soft.
A snack.
Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss.
Things that feel… normal.
Something just for me.
For a minute, I’m not listening to the yelling.
I’m not watching what’s happening to my mom.
I’m not trying to figure out if I’m in trouble.
I’m just… coloring.
Breathing.
Quiet.
It doesn’t fix everything.
It doesn’t make the night go away.
But it gives me a moment
where I’m not in it.
A moment where I can just be a kid again.
That’s what a "Bright Bag" does.
In the middle of chaos, it gives a child something steady to hold onto.
The Reality Children Face
Children experience trauma too!
1 in 15 children
are exposed to intimate partner violence each year.
90%
are direct eyewitness
to the violence
36%
of domestic violence incidents have children are present.
