HEIDI NABERT BIOGRAPHY

Lemons are for Lemonaid!

Today, my life's work is to focus on making childhood a happy and safe time of life for every child in the world.

My life was wonderful until age 6.
Then everything changed – everything became dark, scarey, uncertain, full of fear, emotionally painful  and unpredictable.  I am an adult child of divorce and a survivor of child sexual abuse.

With the divorce rate at 40 - 50% children have their hearts broken every day as their parents separate. Some parents set their anger aside, some don't – the biggest divorce casualites are always the children. Children have no control over the decision that parents make when they separate, and most often, it takes time for the parents to find a peaceful solution after separation – some parents never do.

I was 6 years old when my parents separated.

My dad left and my mother went into a hospital for about 6 months. It was a scarey time in my life. In those days, kids under 12 were not allowed in hospitals, so I was not allowed to see my mom, and my dad left us for another woman and her young daughter. I was cared for by a neighbor and my older brother.

My belief at age 6 was that I caused all of this – in other words, I believed that I was the reason my father left us and that I caused my mother's illness. It became an underlying belief I was not able to understand until I was in my 30s. Needless to say with that type of heavy burdon of guilt I had no self-esteem or self-worth.

I was a perfect target for a sexual predator – there was more than one.

My dad and I were two inseparable beings, there are so many photos of the two of us doing things together – so how does a 6 year old explain abadonment of a parent that was so involved? It confirmed to me at the time that I was not worthy of anything good in my life – so when bad things happened it made sense.

Children can be vulnerable, but with guidance and help from mom and dad, they can learn what they need to know to be safe and how to protect themselves from sexual predators as well as other threatening situations.

All children are at risk today.  Ignorance is not bliss.

I have lobbied for divorce reform and presented before several government committees, before the Canadian Parliament as well as internationally.

Laws governing sexual perdators need massive change. Jail sentences of 1-2 years do not reflect the life sentence that many of their victims must live with. Treatment does not always work, yet, these convicted predators are released, only to reoffend and destroy another young life.

Join me in this quest to change legistation in your community, and speak up for the sake of all children.

Children deserve a safe and happy childhood.

Safety First!  Thanks for taking the time to help make your family safer!