Parenting 101

Comedian, Social Activist, and Philanthropist, Rickey Smiley posted a video about parenting on his Facebook page. He posted:

"Parenting is not a popularity contest, and I found a way to fix these kids who come at me by not speaking to me."

Here is my response (one of thousands of course, and most commenters agreed with Mr. Smiley).

I had the pleasure of raising my son and daughter as a single parent, from 3 and 4 years of age, they're now successful adults, 25 and 26.

One thing I always told my kids is that, we're in this together, we're a team. Also, from day one, I always showed my kids respect, even at 5 & 6 years of age... and ultimately, you get that respect back from your children, without making the sort of archaic demands our parents placed on us.

Another factor, my daughter and son were (and will always be) my top priority and every single day of our lives together they were (and are) keenly aware of this fact.

James Baldwin wrote, "Children don't always listen to their parents but they never fail to imitate them."

The apple rarely falls far from the tree. Therefore, as a parent, if you always carry yourself with respect, class, and dignity, it's what you will see from your children, without lifting a finger in anger.

Patience, love, strong positive guidance, coupled with the folks you allow in your inner circle, the village, if you will, also contribute to the overall outcome.

My circle was very small. When you saw me, you saw my kids. I chose not to date, until they were in HS... and even then, dating was sporadic... like one date every 3-4 months. 

I dropped them off at school, I picked them up from school. They didn't ride the school bus until my son's Sr year at Stephenson HS in Stn MTN GA. Throughout their tenure in school, from daycare to seniors in HS, when I met with their teachers over the years, usually the very first thing they would say, "Mr. Shaw, your daughter/son is so respectful, I never have a problem with her/him."

Daughter graduated top 5 in her class, full Scholarship to GSU, full Scholarship to Emory, Master of Science degree, and awarded the Fulbright Scholarship.

I REALLY DON'T SAY THIS TO BOAST ONLY TO MAKE MY POINT.

Another thing, I did not force Christianity on my kids as it was forced on me and my late brother. I refused to... I'll leave my comments regarding this macabre belief system right there... 

EOTO - EACH ONE TEACH ONE

TASKE - TOGETHER ACQUIRING STRENGTH KNOWLEDGE EXCELLENCE