Be All That You Can Be
I believe in being the best parent I can be. I have a daughter who is almost two. She is my light, my inspiration. When I found out I was pregnant I was in a not so stable, steady relationship. Her father and I went back and forth, together not together, between in love and wanting to kill each other. But after she was born, I opened my eyes to a whole new world.
Parenting is one of the hardest full time jobs a couple will ever have, the hardest if it’s done alone. I’m a single parent and although times have been rough, she is worth it. “Have you ever loved somebody so much it makes you cry?” lyrics from a Brandy song in the 90s but I see it true everyday. She makes me cry. I know she doesn’t comprehend everything that goes on in our life but one day she’ll understand.
I work hard not only to take care of her financially, but to protect, teach and love, and most importantly to teach her to love. There are so many things in the world that are bad. Not that I want to shade her from that but teach her the difference between bad and good, right and wrong. Hate and ignorance aren’t inherited, there’s no genetic predisposition to do so. Those things are taught, first and foremost, taught at home. And sitting her in front of the TV isn’t going to cut it. I can’t depend on the TV or video games to be her parent. Being involved is a requirement of the job.
Sometimes I watch the news and think to myself, “What happened to those kids to make them do the things they did?” and then I think, “What happened to their parents?” When I go to work I see young girls dressed inappropriately for their age and I wonder 1 if there mother or father saw them leave the house like that and 2 if they did what happened to the reflex that said, “go put on some more clothes!” I wonder how some parents miss obvious signs or cries for help. It’s not rocket science. I don’t have to have a PhD to know what’s going on in my child’s life. I just have to be there in every way possible.
There are kids killing kids and babies having babies and everyone is pointing fingers at someone else. I know it is sometimes a thankless even painful job, but I signed up for it. And as the ARMY says “Be all that you can be,” and I believe that the foundation for becoming a successful, upstanding adult starts at home.