One of my daughter's favorite books is called Monster Trouble . A little Afro puff wearing girl named Winifred can’t sleep because monsters keep creeping into her bedroom. She tried to set traps for them but nothing works. In the end, what made them flee was her being kind, sweet and giving them kisses. My little one finds the kisses part hilarious. But.. What happens when mom is the Monster. A terrifying monster of epic proportions. I had been sick for a few days. I’d caught whatever my daughter brought home from daycare which was simply a runny nose for her but turned into a hacking, gagging cough and congestion for me. I could get no relief. None whatsoever. I didn’t want to eat. I couldn’t really sleep. It all came to a head a few evenings ago. I coughed so badly that I threw up. My husband has to grab the blankets and things. I laid my head down on the couch, wet towel on my head to try to feel better. My daughter, not fully...
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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. (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 v...
When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I didn't want to know the gender. I was adamant. So was my husband. We wanted to be surprised. For us, it was simple: I didn't want to pigeonhole my kid into a gender specific way of being from birth. Baby R would be a baby. Period. Knowing the sex isn't what concerned us most. Because my pregnancy was so difficult, all I cared about was if the kid was going to be healthy. But we had no idea how folks were so obsessed with finding out. They didn't understand why we didn't care. They wanted to know what names we picked out even though we told them we had names for both boys and girls (aka unisex names). Why wasn't the room going to be pink or blue? Why did I not want pink at all?(for the record, I hate pink!) They didn't wanna buy us gifts (even though we had a comprehensive registry that was gender neutral and full of good basic items) unless they knew the gender. It was frustrating. Look, a baby is a baby. Onsies ...
I know a girl She puts the color inside of my world But she's just like a maze Where all of the walls are continually changed And I've done all I can To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands Now I'm starting to see Maybe it's got nothing to do with me Fathers, be good to your daughters Daughters will love like you do Girls become lovers who turn into mothers So mothers, be good to your daughters too Oh, you see that skin? It's the same she's been standing in Since the day she saw him walking away Now I'm left Cleaning up the mess he made So fathers, be good to your daughters Daughters will love like you do Girls become lovers who turn into mothers So mothers, be good to your daughters too Boys, you can break You'll find out how much they can take Boys will be strong And boys soldier on But boys would be gone without the warmth from A womans good, good heart On behalf of every man Looking out for every girl Yo...