Sandy Esprit

Ok, hear me out. I know the title sounds super mystical, over-spiritual, almost too spooky to be true but read this blog in its entirety before you make your judgement. Now this is not just for parents, but for the single people, those in relationships (open or closed, no judgement), if you’re thinking of having kids or if children aren’t for you. This is for everybody.

I don’t know about you, but as of late I’m seeing more and more videos of young children committing suicide due to bullying and cyberbullying. More and more, there are reports of a generation that is susceptible to being harassed and molded into believing that they are not worthy of experiencing life and all that it has to offer. Mental health is now being put at the forefront, not just in the Caucasian community but within other marginalized communities where it was once taboo. There is so much at stake and it’s up to us to do something about it. Whether or not you believe in God, you believe in fate, or a higher power we can all agree that our time on Earth isn’t permanent. None of us are immortal and what we leave behind will dictate the fate and destiny of those coming after us.

1. Personal Accountability

When I was younger, I used to love watching The Maury Show. My family would gather together in front of the television, and judge these guests. We discuss their poor choice in men and their promiscuous lifestyles. We would talk about how “men” needed to step up and take care of their children and how these “women” needed to learn about abstinence or some kind of protection.

The older I get, the more I realize that we tend to act recklessly when we no longer hold ourselves accountable to any type of standard. We’ll get loose and shout, “YOLO!” in hopes that it frees us from being accountable. The truth is we’re still accountable. No one can tell us what to do, nor can they enslave us to their ideologies however we do have a responsibility to everyone around us to be the example we want copied in the future. Personally, I would love to live in a world where every child has the knowledge of who their parents are without having to find out in front of millions of viewers online and on tv.

2. Stay In School, Kids!

Knowledge is Power! You remember those posters in the school hallways? Encouraging us to learn and to stay in school. At the time, I thought those posters were lame! But looking back, I totally get it.

You don’t have to attend a post-secondary education to have an education. In fact, almost everything you need to learn is available on the internet. I do believe that life is all about learning. You’re never too old to learn something new and it’s great to be able to share that knowledge to those younger than you. Especially when they grasp it faster just because it’s you, teaching it to them. I’m telling you. Besides how else are we supposed to impact this world for the better if we don’t know anything?!

3. How Do YOU View Yourself?

How you see yourself will dictate how your kids will see themselves? If you think you are stupid, they will believe they are stupid. You believe you are royalty, believe me, they will believe they are too. You can’t pass along something you don’t have or believe.

Children will copy you. What you do, how you do it and when you do it are what they learn from us. Do you know how many times I speak to my daughter and hear my mother? It is scary I tell you. But that’s the way it goes.

If I’m going to teach my daughter to be the best version of herself, I’ve got to be the best version of myself. She needs to know that her mother is confident and secure enough to remain humble and learn in order to succeed. She needs to see that. She needs to see that love does win in the end. She needs to see me be the Christian I claim to be otherwise I’m just a liar. She’ll see that and reciprocate that behaviour. Children are our copy.

I hope this helped and gives you insight. I hope this piece helped put things in perspective. Life is beautiful if you wait long enough to experience it. All of our children deserve this chance and we are the ones to show it to them.

What do you think?