School Is In Again!

This article is for all of you vacant Dad’s that are running around doing everything else but helping your baby’s momma raise your children.

Lets start by going over the basics according to ME:

If you are married, engaged or living with your baby’s momma, SOME of this you may not need to read. You’ll know one way or the other by the time you’ve finished this article.For the men out here who have children of school age – 3 and up – and who are not 100% involved in the educational process that’s surrounding your child – Lets get in the game!

Raising an emotionally and physically healthy child in a single parent home is HARD! Raising an educationally intelligent child in a one-parent home is as difficult as trying to climb Mt. Everest in tennis shoes and shorts.

Everyone who’s read any of my past articles know that I have three kids with the oldest two in kindergarten and fifth grade respectively. My almost ten year old daughter attends a public school for the “gifted”. This basically means that she’s testing two to four grades above her age, in all subjects. This also means that she has at least three hours of homework NIGHTLY, including FRIDAYS! The weekends are also setup as the time to complete her special projects.

My son thinks he’s as smart, if not smarter, than his older sister. His homework isn’t as demanding as his sisters but after he finishes the last of his schools work he grabs one of the many workbooks he’s collected from his many visits to our favorite bookstore.

I say all of this to bring you into the real world of a committed and caring parent. This commitment has to be tripled during the school year and if you haven’t stepped up to the plate yet, its time to get in the game. And let me tell you now, this is the only game for a real man to play in. The game book is thick and complex and only the best should try out for a starting position. Here’s a typical day for a true warrior.

My kids and I have to get up at five am every morning since Cree’s bus is waiting for her at 6:30 in the morning. To help with this daily transition we prepare thoroughly the night before – we iron and lay out all of our outfits for the next day, we set the table for the next days breakfast, as well as pack all of the book bags and load them into the car. This a lot of drama for a single parent on a day-to-day basis and we haven’t even talked about the two to three hours of homework that must be done the night before.

Ask yourself a question: Why should one parent have to stress himself or herself out on a daily basis when baby’s daddy or in some rare cases, momma, can jump in and carry SOME of the load. You don’t have to live in the same house with your kids to assume some of the load or to change your schedule so that you can be the educational force behind your child.

I can hear some folks grabbing that negative trash out of the air as they read this because I’ve got a number of e-mails from mothers who don’t want anything to do with their baby’s daddy. I’ve got mail from men who feel like they were deceived and trapped into having a child with a woman that they had no intention of doing more than hitting it one time, just because it was there and available. But guess what folks this shit ain’t about you, your mate, or your one nightstand. It’s about the kids and what’s’ best for them, not you.

Ask yourself these questions:

Who helped your kid with their homework last night?
Have you ever been to your kid’s school and talked to any of their teacher’s?
Do you have any idea how much homework your child has to do tonight?
Are you cooking dinner, ironing clothes, waking up at 5am, going over their projects, and participating in their growth?
Do you want your child to be the best that they can be?
Do you want your child to have many of the opportunities you didn’t have a shot at when you were a child?
And the best question ever asked of a parent – DO you want your child to grow up and MOVE out of your house and never have to come back?
Handle your business and your responsibilities, now! Don’t make or accept any excuses. Fight to be your seed’s father or a mother. Accept nothing less that the title of a full-time, participatory parent.