Giswa Ltd

11/01/2026

07/01/2026

“Never does a man stand so tall as when he stoops to help a child…” ❤️

05/01/2026

"'The Crawlers,' 1877. ‘The Crawlers’ were the lowest of the British poor. [And women, as always, were the poorest of the poor, the most destitute.] This elderly widow is sitting outside a tailor’s shop, holding a baby while its mother works. She was given a cup of tea and a slice of bread daily in return.

"The photograph titled “The Crawlers” was taken in 1877 and captures one of the harshest realities of Victorian poverty in London. The term “crawlers” referred to some of the most destitute people in society — often the elderly, widowed, or disabled, who were too frail to work and forced to rely on scraps of charity to survive. They were called “crawlers” because many were so weakened by hunger, disease, or age that they could only move slowly, often crawling or dragging themselves along the streets.

"In this haunting image, an elderly widow sits outside a tailor’s shop, cradling an infant. The baby’s mother, likely a working-class woman struggling to make ends meet, left her child in the widow’s care while she labored inside. The widow’s payment for this exhausting responsibility was meager: a cup of tea and a slice of bread a day. Such arrangements were common, as survival for the poorest relied on fragile networks of mutual aid and the charity of others.

"This photograph is more than a snapshot, it is a window into the crushing inequalities of Victorian society. While industrial Britain was generating immense wealth, many of its citizens were trapped in cycles of poverty, living day to day on the edge of survival.

"Social reformers later used photographs like this as evidence to push for changes in housing, sanitation, and welfare laws, laying the groundwork for Britain’s eventual social safety nets."

https://x.com/archeohistories/status/2007176492573471016/photo/1

I did an AI check (sigh) and authenticated this photo entitled "The Crawlers" by John Thomson, taken circa 1876-77 in his pioneering social documentary work Street Life in London. The unnamed woman is sitting outside a workhouse in Short's Gardens, St. Giles. She was a tailor's widow who minded her (also poor) friend's baby in return for the most meager of meals.

04/01/2026

I don't care who disagrees but kids who are 11 or 12 don’t need makeup, lashes, piercings, or anything else that pushes them to grow up faster than their hearts and minds are ready for. It’s a truth many adults quietly understand, but don’t always say out loud.

At this age, children should be spending their time laughing with friends, exploring their interests, and figuring out who they are. These are the years meant for curiosity and freedom, not for worrying about appearance, beauty standards, or trying to look older just to fit in.

Yet pressure comes from everywhere. Social media, trends, influencers, and even classmates constantly send the message that growing up faster is expected. In all that noise, it’s easy to forget something very simple: a child is still a child.

Makeup can wait. Piercings can wait. All of it can wait.

What matters now is giving kids the space to grow emotionally and build confidence without feeling the need to change how they look to feel accepted. Confidence should come from within, not from decoration.

As parents, our responsibility is to protect these fragile, fleeting years. To resist adult expectations being placed too soon. To allow childhood to be joyful, messy, silly, and real.

Let them be goofy. Let them be imperfect. Let them be young.

Because childhood only comes once, and when it’s gone, it’s gone forever.