You have "tiger" moms.
Stage Moms.
Hipster, Granola Moms
Helicopter parents.
Queen Bee PTA B*TCH Moms.
I don't really have a desire to be any of those moms.
I've decided to create a new category for myself.
Stage Moms.
Hipster, Granola Moms
Helicopter parents.
Queen Bee PTA B*TCH Moms.
I don't really have a desire to be any of those moms.
I've decided to create a new category for myself.
(Listen,.. I know Black Panther is a dude. But he's my fav LOL).
The Black Panther Mom
It's probably not what you think it is. And honestly, I am working on the definition myself. But I am clear about what it is not. It is not any of what I listed above. And it most certainly is rooted in cultural depth. We aren't talking HOTEP-ness Erykah Badu levels of Granola crunchy. Just a rootedness (thank you Toni Morrison) in Diasporic appreciation.
A black panther mom is vigilant about protecting her young. She wants them to be strong, nurturing and independent but also kind, compassionate and considerate. She wants them to be appreciative of people who are different. And most of all, an appreciation of self, of culture and of the value of their lives in a society that tells them otherwise.
The black panther mom sees to this by starting early with self love and awareness. From the books we read...to the food we eat... to the music we dance to in the living room., the child of a black panther mom knows that these are subtle rights of passage for any black child. But we also know that society may not value those things that we find near and dear and may use them as cultural cash crops.
The black panther mom tells her kids to let people know.."move or you will be moved". I want her to learn how to be a badass on her own terms without cowering to others.
I just want my Gogo to be strong. And fearless. And have a mother that shows her that being a black woman is a lot of things. Most of all it is not the stereotypes out there about us. I want to be the type of Black Panther Mom that respects my child's gifts and individuality yet raise them with a firm but loving hand. I want to break away from slave mentality and physical abuse as a way to discipline... I want to encourage achievement not only for herself but for her people. Because she not only represents the best of US (her father and I) but the best of US (black people of the Diaspora).
I could go on and on. But as I work on being a Black Panther Mom... I know it's a lot less "superhero" than it is super-human. I want the humanity to be on full display as a mom. I want people to say "Wow, Gogo.. your mom is cool. She talks to you. She keeps it real".
... I guess in essence. ,I just want to me like my own black Panther mom.. who was all those things and more.
God knows I'd like to try
A black panther mom is vigilant about protecting her young. She wants them to be strong, nurturing and independent but also kind, compassionate and considerate. She wants them to be appreciative of people who are different. And most of all, an appreciation of self, of culture and of the value of their lives in a society that tells them otherwise.
The black panther mom sees to this by starting early with self love and awareness. From the books we read...to the food we eat... to the music we dance to in the living room., the child of a black panther mom knows that these are subtle rights of passage for any black child. But we also know that society may not value those things that we find near and dear and may use them as cultural cash crops.
The black panther mom tells her kids to let people know.."move or you will be moved". I want her to learn how to be a badass on her own terms without cowering to others.
I just want my Gogo to be strong. And fearless. And have a mother that shows her that being a black woman is a lot of things. Most of all it is not the stereotypes out there about us. I want to be the type of Black Panther Mom that respects my child's gifts and individuality yet raise them with a firm but loving hand. I want to break away from slave mentality and physical abuse as a way to discipline... I want to encourage achievement not only for herself but for her people. Because she not only represents the best of US (her father and I) but the best of US (black people of the Diaspora).
I could go on and on. But as I work on being a Black Panther Mom... I know it's a lot less "superhero" than it is super-human. I want the humanity to be on full display as a mom. I want people to say "Wow, Gogo.. your mom is cool. She talks to you. She keeps it real".
... I guess in essence. ,I just want to me like my own black Panther mom.. who was all those things and more.
God knows I'd like to try
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