Mom at domestic violence shelter found son's letter to Santa. He asked for a 'good dad'

Ryan W. Miller | USA TODAY

A young boy at a Texas domestic violence shelter had a simple yet heartbreaking request in his letter to Santa this year: books, a dictionary, compass, watch and "a very very very good dad."

In an image that has gone viral on Facebook, SafeHaven of Tarrant County shared a letter by the 7-year-old who has been living at the shelter since around Thanksgiving.

To protect the identities of the boy and his mother, the shelter altered the letter by changing the boy's name and removing other details, Kathryn Jacob, president and CEO of the shelter, told USA TODAY.

The boy, identified only as Blake, wrote the letter weeks ago as part of a class holiday project, Jacob said. On Facebook, the shelter said that his mother found it in his backpack.

In the letter, the boy described how he and his mother left an abusive father. He says he does not have his belongings, then asks for a variety of objects for Christmas.

"This happens to us every day so when we initially saw this letter it wasn't anything necessarily remarkable, as sad as that sounds," said Jacob. "We in no way thought it would resonate with so many people."

The image was posted Wednesday and has been shared more than 1,000 times for the shelter's Facebook page as of Thursday afternoon.

Jacob said that although the letter captures the boy's raw emotion, shelter staff couldn't help but smile at his list of "uniquely bizarre items," ones that only a child could ask for. She said another child at the shelter, an 8-year-old, asked for a toothbrush and glasses cleaner.

But the boy also made a final, and powerful, request for a new father.

The response to sharing the letter has been largely positive, Jacob said. Many other survivors of domestic violence or those who witnessed abuse as children have shared their stories in response.

"Abusers use isolation as a tool to be an abuser," she said. "The great irony ... (is) it's actually not an isolating event at all. You are in fact part of this bigger community."

The shelter wrote on Facebook that it has capacity for about 164 people. Most of those are children, Jacob said, and more than 70 are currently at the shelter.

In Texas, about one in three women experience domestic violence, Jacob said. Nationally, about one in four women experience severe physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

In sharing the letter, Jacob said shelter staff hoped to spread awareness around the issue, which she called the country's "dirty little secret."

She said donations have since poured into SafeHaven of Tarrant County, and items on Blake's wish list have been purchased. For those who want to help, reach out to local shelters and see what their needs are, Jacob said.

"Be an advocate on behalf of survivors ... there are domestic violence shelters all over the United States," she said. "I know there are kids at other shelters also want a toothbrush and glasses cleaner."

Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter: @RyanW_Miller