"I am a black man who grew up without a father, and I know the cost that I paid for that. And I also know that I have the capacity to break that cycle, and as a consequence I think that my daughters are better off…For me to have that conversation does not negate my conversation about the need for early childhood education, or the need for job training, or the need for investment in infrastructure or jobs in low-income communities." —President Obama at the Georgetown University #PovertySummit: go.wh.gov/pFJRQN
Posted by The White House on Tuesday, May 12, 2015
No matter what your opinion is of President Obama, he is an amazing example of what is possible. I was lucky to have an innocent childhood, with very open minded parents, that treated us like adults, even if they didn't understand it, they let us find our path and supported it. My one of a kind mother has a birthday today, she has always been and continues to be a light on to everyone she meets. I am so grateful to have her as an example of womanhood, wifehood, and motherhood.
On the other side of things, hearing all of the horrible stuff that happens to children all over the world is horrifying. One of my good friends recently traveled to Africa to teach about the harm of Female Genital Mutilation, many of the people have been doing it for generations, didn't realize the harm, and how unnecessary it was. Jewish Community Watch, http://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/ has brought into the open keeping abusers accountable, I am so grateful to them, and cannot imagine a child being taken advantage of in that way. Yesterday I just found out that someone I knew had lost their baby in very sad circumstances, there was no wrongdoing, the baby just didn't wake up, only a few months old. We have to treasure our children, and as challenging as the day to day is, I always remind myself, to Thank God for their health, energy, vitality, stubbornness, and intensity because these are all good things.
The following comic is a statement on how kids can come out different, I feel that it is such a combination of factors, my immigrant parents overcame so many obstacles, my family got no handouts, and we just persevered and thrived. I think it is part genes, part upbringing, circumstance, and environment, and also each person's inward drive and light. You can read all about it here, http://samuel-warde.com/2015/05/perfect-explanation-privilege-one-powerful-punchline/. I like one of the responses to this comic, it really gets my point across,
“Overly simplified and probably designed to troll.
I don't like this because I come from a family that started at box 1 (my grandparents, father, mother and uncles all lived in ONE room above a restaurant when they were young).
But by box 5 they expected nothing but high expectations from us 3 children - A-grades were expected and no expense was spared to get us good education.
Now, we as adults could be considered the left column story. We are all professionally qualified, mingle with those of a similar stature and work in industries which stereotypically command above average salaries.
But still, my parents only retired last year from their working class jobs albeit ones they worked hard to eventually own their own. My mother only finished high-school, my father not even that.
This is an insult to all those hard working, poor, underprivileged, working class families that value the family unit, espoused hard work and high expectations - now we are probably considered as a family in the left column and would be vilified under this article for it but why? We as a family lived and worked under the same obstacles and we rose above it and we also know many from our past that did the same, this is something to be PROUD of and not made to feel ashamed of what we have achieved.
Hard work and high expectations does pay. My parents worked 14 hour days when I was a child but still never let the TV babysit my childhood, neither did they have the education to help me with homework but they found other means.” — Jon
My Yoga teacher once told me that our mission as parents, is to support our children to find their path, and let them fly. They are meant to go out into the world and make their own unique contribution.
Coach Yulia
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