Shaun, Eboni and Hasan and my 4 grandchildren, Jetaun, Latif, Trezere and Laila and to all the children. I'm sure a lot of you remember the days when the kids respected their elders, honored their parents and revered their teachers and authority figures. Now corporal punishment has been labelled abuse and children threaten to report their parents to Child Welfare agencies at the drop of a hat. All of the power has been taken away from the parents and put into the hands of the children. Children...who don't know if we don't teach them. Children who can't see beyond their noses and have no idea of how severe the consequences of their actions might be... On the other hand, they should feel empowered. Not by being able to get away with things. But by us, the adults, teaching and molding them to be morally straight and to use the knowledge that has been bestowed upon them in a positive way. Low income families are mortgaging their homes and going into serious debt to put Sean Jean, Coach, Echo, Gucci and Rocawear on their kids backs and two hundred dollar sneakers and boots on their feet. What they are not thinking about is that they are putting them in danger...their lives at risk. They are being robbed, beaten and even killed by other kids whose parents can't afford it. We, as the adults and parents have to regain the reins and put these kids back on track. We have to stop looking the other way and being afraid to step up to the plate. We must set good examples and become positive role models for them. They are not seeing the whole picture. Only the immediate rewards....CHAOS IS THE END RESULT |
By Ramilee Miller �1992 They say it takes an entire village to raise a single child So where were we when our kids became so violent and wild? We brought them into this world... just a shining, but empty cup. So innocent and so pure... just waiting to be filled up We�re the ones who decided to have them. They had nothing at all to say So it was up to us to guide them and show them the right way Somewhere along the line, something went terribly wrong And now we have let it fester for far, far too long You see that little boy over there? He�s only eight years old But he�s strung out on crack and coke from what I have been told You can hear his old man raising hell and screaming every night Sometimes even physically abusing and terrorizing his wife Of course he'd always apologize and blame it on the booze He'd already lost his dignity and had nothing else to lose They claimed they couldn�t pay the rent or buy any food to eat But their kids wore one hundred fifty dollar sneakers on their feet And their necks, ears and fingers are always laden in gold Though that won�t warm or feed them when they�re hungry, tired and cold They buy them brand name clothing and jewelry simply to impress But they never bothered to teach them it�s not important how you dress And see his older sister there? I hear she�s just thirteen But she�s got the cutest little baby boy that I have ever seen The guys in the hood have labelled her a slut and a "Hoe" �Cause she thinks being promiscuous is the cool way to go But don�t you even worry about it, because she feels no shame Hell, she thinks "Bitch" and "Hoe" are a part of her given name And is it any wonder with these songs the radio stations are playing? Doesn�t anybody give a damn what some of these rappers are saying? It�s lewd and it�s violent and it should be against the law And if that`s what`s considered freedom of speech, our constitution has a flaw These kids are our future and we have to teach them morals How long do you think we can just sit back and rest on our laurels? Each and every one of us has got to do our part To give our children a fighting chance, to give them a real headstart So stop being afraid to speak up and to really get involved How else will all these problems be handled and get solved? Walk up to them and let them know when they�re doing something wrong We�ve been too acquiescent and too quiet for far too long Teach them love and compassion and be sure to let them know That they�ll be loved unconditionally, wherever they may go But you can�t keep making excuses for them... it isn�t always the system Just think about it and tell me when you last hugged and kissed them There are plenty of other problems out there and they all need to be fixed But our children are separate issues and the two should not be mixed And if you made them go to church, I�m sure there�d be less strife For nothing is impossible when you allow God to enter your life So, if you see my child out there doing something wrong Pull her aside and talk to her, don�t just let her go on And if I see your child out there, cold and hungry on the street I will gladly take him home with me and give him something to eat We all have to do our part to look out for one another Don�t think of it as a burden, for... "He ain�t heavy, he�s your brother"!!! |
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