A couple of weeks ago I had a special guest on my radio show Just One Hot Mom, the conversation was engaging, please check out the replay on iTunes or YouTube. During our discussion, Policing Our Communities, my guest mentioned being Dead Right! That concept stuck with me. Are we teaching our kids the proper way to deal with the police or other authority figures or people that could potentially do them harm. Let me explain…
I am the mother of a young African American male, around our country these young people appear to have a target on their backs when it comes to dealing with the police. I’ve had many conversations with my son about this and I figured one day. I needed to give clear cut instructions on how to deal with the police. I teach my son that he has rights, that people should respect those rights, he has the right to ask questions, if he is right he should voice that. Am I wrong?! I didn’t think so until my guest made that comment, is it more important to be right and potentially lose your life or is it more important to let them think they are right and deal with them in a different manner. I would much rather have my son make it home then know he died trying to be right. Am I a coward for that?! I’ll take that coward status if it saves his life. Now I know some don’t even have to argue and still lose their lives, this is a sad reality, but am I doing everything as his mom to ensure that he has a higher probability of making it home. I don’t want to shake his confidence in becoming the great man I know he is destined to be but I want him to make it to be that great man.
This topic was so much bigger than just the police when I thought about it. My son wants a job so bad, he is currently running his own candy company with the kids at his school, he wants to sign up with a program to work over the summer. I am sure we all have read about in the news or viewed on TV all of these celebrities coming out of the woodwork talking about the abuse they received on the set of show and movies while trying to build their careers. A lot of them are established in careers now, but at the time were unknown. Is there some potential employee who I will tell my son to respect because they’re his supervisor, but this joker will use this role to their advantage. I’ve instilled many things in my kids, they are confident, they know about stranger danger, about not letting anyone touch their private places, they know right from wrong just like I’m sure all these people did, but someone still manage to slip in and steal a portion of their joy.
What are we to do as parents when the talks we give, the ones we feel are most important are not enough? Personally I’m talking more, I’m asking more questions, I’m reading body language, I am studying my children more now than ever. They are my greatest subjects and I refuse to drop the ball with them. I’m engaged and I’ve surrounded my children with people I believe have their best interest at heart. Not everyone is considered an Auntie or Uncle. I am open to discuss whatever is on their minds even if it conflicts with me or makes me extremely uncomfortable.
This issue has stumped me Hot Peeps, what are your suggestions, drop them in the comments. We will definitely have a follow-up to this post inthe near future.