It used to take a Village ....

To raise our kids, that is!

In all honesty, the 90's for me was the best years God could have ever blessed upon my soul. Yes, I'm a young buck but that doesn't take away from my childhood days. The days of block parties. Of being able to walk to school by yourself in the third grade without the fear of being kidnapped. Of real fighting with fists and not guns and knives. Of Voltron, G.I.Joe, Rainbow Brite and Thundercats. Of real rap music like Public Enemy and X-Clan. Of videos that featured real dancers wearing real clothes like Cross Colors or Used. Of my neighbors threatning to whupp my tail for fighting out in the street or telling my mom that I was being fresh to my elders...those were days!

Although, I never had the latest gear or the hottest game system (and at the time it was the gray Nintendo), I had it good. Both my parents were still together and they equally pushed me to be the best in school. I hit the honor roll from 2nd grade straight through until 10th. I dropped my zeal for wanting to be part of the elite because at the time I thought I should be rewarded in some shape or fashion for my brilliance. The rewards never came and neither did the recognition, so I chucked my honors status. Now looking back I wish I didn't.

My mindset then lead me to the predicament, myself and other parents of my generation seem to find ourselves in. Are you familiar with the phrase.."I want my kids to have it better than I did." or " They shouldn't have to go through what I went through." Well dummies, what exactly did we go through? I'm gonna' fess up and say that I straight up expected to be spoiled, being that I am the baby and the only girl. My point...we give our kids just like we promised. Our version of better. But look at what we unleashed into the world. Spoiled, self-centered, overly stimulated, ADD ridden, lazy heathens who have a ton of entitlement issues. Always with their hand out saying Gimme...I need...I want!

People we missed a valuable lesson from our parents and past generations. We had to work hard for everything we got and that included a butt whuppin'. Even after the hard work, we still got nothing most of the time. By nothing I mean nothing material. It was not meant for us to get rewarded for what we were supposed to do. Our jobs were simple: go to school and get great grades. We had no excuse for yuckin' up. We missed our shout que and our feel good about our accomplishment cue. We were too busy crying for the Gameboy or the new Jordans to see that we should've been proud of ourselves. Now we have become parents and our kids don't respect us because they don't know the meaning of the concept: EARN. We hand everything to them on a silver platter just for the hell of it.

Explain to me how the kid who has everything; Mom who put her dreams on hold, struggled thru a mediocre job to provide flyest clothes, b-day parties thrown in dancehalls, tv and dvd player in her own room and a cellphone can turn around and lie to a judge about being abused cause she has to wash dishes every night. Then to add insult to injury tells the judge she'd rather go live with the deadbeat freshly unabsent parent. Also explain to me how a child that has a drug addict as a mother, who considers themselves lucky if they ever see the inside of a public school and has to wake up every morning to clean up fresh puke of mom's late night binge can have nothing but compassion and unconditional love just becasue that's their mom.

Am I missing something people? I'd love to say we can help each other get back to where we were but some of y'all parents are more ignorant than your children. Your kid is out in the street cussin' like a sailor or got a skirt on showing off her latest ass cheek tattoo. The first thing you have to say is "Don't nobody talk to my child like that." "You ain't his/her mama." " Mind yo' own damn business." Wish granted! Everyone's minding their own business and turns a blind eye to the problem than can be corrected if someone would only take the time to get all up in someone else's business. Our little hatchlings are all our business.

The sins of the father and mother has a huge impact on our kids. When did we stop caring? Why don't we stop the spoiling and put the strap back into play? Since when does a 12 year old decide he/she can divorce their parents? I smell a set-up or in plain terms...C-O-N-spiracy! Let's take our power back y'all. It's never too late.