Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy: What Can WE Be Doing Better As A Society?

December 16, 2012 By 2 Comments

My heart is heavy with sadness that we all seem to feel for the families that lost little lives way too soon a community that lost leaders, all families loved ones. My daughter is in kindergarten and I sat and pondered as I learned about the news through Facebook. I began to tear up as I could not even imagine, fathom what those parents of those little 5-6 year olds are going through or the thought of “what if” that was us. As we have learned people can snap anywhere at anytime of the day, it doesn’t have to be a school now, it happens in movie theaters. But what can we do better as a society?

On Facebook, I keep seeing who is this crazy person that would shoot 5 year olds? What kind of crazy world do we live in? And now I am seeing signs and postings for stricter gun laws. This is NOT about what is going on in this world, it is about what is NOT going on in our hearts and souls. Broken hearts and souls that are suffering and feeling there is NO where to turn is what leads to sad news like today.

You see, it is not guns, it is not knives, it is not stricter laws, it is what we are NOT doing as a society to help the broken hearts and souls. They are lost and lonely and this is what causes these sad moments in our lives. We can have all the gun control we want, but it will not solve the issue. Something happened to this young man and got lost in the system. No matter the law, how they got the gun, it is the mental and emotional state of each broken human being who feels like they have NO where to turn. And WHY? Why do they feel there is no where to turn? What are we doing wrong? No body wants to be categorized as being “mentally unfit.” It is still a taboo and still a shameful term in today’s times.

Nobody travels down the perfect road in life

Then my mind wonders to how are we raising our kids? I recall being at a birthday party and there was a little boy who was crying, he was about, a little over a year old. His mother said, stop crying like a baby, and little boys don’t cry. I felt sad for the boy, such a stero type, teaching little boys that it is ok to cry and be sensitive is important for them to learn how to express their feelings. Perhaps this young man had suppressed feelings from his parents? I don’t know, but what I do know is our brokenness stems from our childhood..

I am so grateful for my daughter’s school who has the tools in place to help children and parents deal with issues such as depression, anxiety, even how to get though difficult parenting times. A Biblical based school, we just finished a Peacemakers study in teaching kids conflict resolution, a step they define as character building, (raising kids to be Heaven bound, not Harvard bound) as these are skills they will need every day in their lives as they mature into this world. I just finished the adult version too, so even I am convicted in how I resolve conflicts. It helps all of us to make peace and be at peace with all.

Speaking of peace, it breaks my heart to see so many that don’t have peace in their hearts. It begins with Him at home and how we raise our kids in a positive, uplifting environment that teaches compassion, to love and serve others through the unconditional love we give our kids in which can be reflected and passed down through them. Having stability in our souls helps us to feel more love and peace towards others and understand our purpose in this world. What can we do? Here are a few of my thoughts:

1.) I would like to see schools offer parenting classes. Not just one, but a series of classes. It would be worth our tax dollars to begin investing into country’s families, the future of our society. Just as many of us need Continuing Education Classes to better ourselves in our jobs or get a promotion.., what are you doing to better yourself as a parent? Parenting classes offers ways in teaching us to better understand our child at certain phases in our lives so we are better equipped in helping and nurturing them. Schools would have to find a way to get 100% participation rate. Perhaps, if parents want their child to move up to the next grade, it ought to be required to complete a course…

2.) Schools need to focus a little less on academics and more on developing the character of the child. Even public schools can take time out of their weekly schedule to teach kids as young as five how to resolve conflicts. Learn how to talk it out instead of using our hands, words, or gossip. This teaches them life skills that can be used in the office to even their own personal relationships. Separating kids in the classroom when conflict arises teaches them nothing but to run from the problem. Putting them in detention teaches kids nothing unless they are given the skills to work it out. I mean, honestly, when is the last time you used geometry to solve an argument with your spouse?

3.) Schools need X amount of mandatory counseling to children of who’s parents are going through a divorce and allow school time for those kids so they have an outlet to discuss and get the help needed. This also allows for the child to get the necessary help needed in case there are any red flags. This young man was a product of a divorce while he was still in high school, who most likely did not get the help he needed.

4.) Parents need to be involved in their children’s lives, but not be helicopter parents either. Let them be kids, but set healthy boundaries. From what I understand, the mother was tough to live with and particular in how they lived.

5.) If someone wants to purchase guns, it is their constitutional right, however, there needs to be more thorough background checks. As with pilots, if they want to fly a plane, they cannot have any history of any mental diagnosis. If a person has a history of mental illness or been on medications to control mental illness they or the caretakers of the home should not be allowed to purchase guns.

Remember, we all come from brokenness and we are raising broken children, it is how we are equipped to handle the trials and tribulations of parenthood that helps our children to be kind, loving, compassionate souls in our broken world today.

How to Pray for Sandy Hook Elementary School

Picture from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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As your waist size decreases, is your heart increasing?

October 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Question? Are you obsessed with the numbers on your scale? Are you so obsessed that you have lost your heart along the way? I ask this because we as women tend to define ourselves by the numbers on the scale, the size of our clothes, but we lose our hearts and souls that is for eternity. Eternity cannot be defined by numbers, we cannot comprehend eternity, but idolizing those numbers as a Woman of God is a sin. Now let me ask this, As your waist size decreases, is your heart increasing?

Yes, I too idolized those numbers on the scale and yet caught myself as I weighed myself for the first time in a week hoping to be under a number. Then I shook my head, “Jasmine, but the Lord does not care about those numbers, he cares about your heart and wants your heart to increase in its size.”

At the end of the day, ask “What am I doing to increase my heart?”

As I learned in my Mom’s group in our recent study is: The first step in change is….heart. When we are riddled with hatred, guilt, negative emotions, beating ourselves up with negative self talk, our hearts shrink. Those around us feel that shrinkage in our attitudes and behavior. And our souls begin to die

3 John 1:2 states: “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”

So if our health prospers doesn’t mean we can neglect what is in our hearts, whether it is how we treat others, our families, as they take the brunt of our actions and behaviors, and how we treat ourselves. When we become content in just being healthy vs. being skinny, that is honoring the Lord, being healthy is honoring Him, not being in those skinny jeans. You can’t take those skinny jeans with you to Heaven, when He asks you at the Pearly Gates: “I ask you, did you learn to love?”

That is all He cares about, our hearts and HOW we loved. Remember the story of the Grinch? Just like the Grinch’s heart was so small and filled with hatred, it changed, because he learned to love…

Romans 14:17: “…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

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Who is on Your “Personal Board of Directors?”

September 3, 2012 By 6 Comments

Each time this year, I find myself re-newing myself. It is such an odd time of the year. One would think the New Year or spring time would foster this important growth, but the fall does this to me. It reminds me starting fresh with the school year and as the seasons change, the fall is a time for inner reflection as I learned last year. It is timely as my birthday approaches, because to me, that is my new year. So for the next month until my birthday, I am allowing you inside my heart, my past and understanding my broken road to the person I have become today. I am starting light and going to ask you to think about “Who is on Your “Personal Board of Directors?”

Creating your Personal Board of Directors is not a light decision.

I can’t take responsibility for this saying. I was sitting at the Leadership Summit of the church we were attending at the time in 2006 when I heard Jim Collins, the author from Good to Great speak to the lead pastor. He began to speak about his “Personal Board of Directors.” After some time, he then asked us: “Who is on Your Personal Board of Directors?” I was fascinated by this idea in just how cool it sounded. He stated you need 7 key players and I began thinking who were the key people in my life that influenced me, helped me to be a better person in my career and in my life. These key players should be of different backgrounds, whether educational, religious or of different origins, where one comes from and their beliefs should vary enough to give you a well-rounded board. They should also stimulate self-renewal, so you don’t get stagnant in your professional life, keep to your core-values and remain true to your goals.

As a new Christian, I was like well, duh, of course God, but I did not have a very good understanding on what that meant or how that looked. It took some maturing on my part later in life. I came up with 4 names right away. Besides God, my husband, my Career Coach, my chiropractor, and my bestie from high school who lived out of state.

The first four are obvious, but my chiropractor? Yes, she truly inspires me to be great, she is truly one of THE smartest women I know, yes borderline genius. She plants these seeds in my head that forces me to critically think in ways that challenge me, go outside my comfort zone to be a better person. Not only is she good at getting the kinks out of my back, but the mental and emotional component is unique to the service she offers to me. I can email her on a whim and she will get back to me with an answer really fast and she is a busy working mom herself.

My bestie from high school who lives out of state. I found it to be important to have someone who is not involved in my community to have the ability to see things from a different perspective. She has a creative eye and I wish she lived closer so we could have a cup of coffee after taking some fitness dance class.

I have also added another friend from the east coast since then, who lived in Chicago for a short time as her husband was working on his MBA here in Chicago. Our husbands went to undergrad together, we became awesome friends, and I value her opinion, a lot. She is straight-up honest and doesn’t hold back at all. We can laugh about it and all is cool. I respect and like that about her and you need someone who can do that to you.

My Career Coach. I accidentally ran into her at my previous job while creating a women’s only health fair. She invited me to come to one of their Women in Management meetings and I found myself in a support group for women who held management positions. I was in a tough place and I hired her. I have been seeing her since 2005 and I have not looked back. I can email her to ask her a question, get her professional opinion or just say ‘it’s that time” and she is ready with dates and times for us to meet. We catch up, assess, create goals and begin putting them into action. She understands me, my strengths and weaknesses as a professional and gives sound, solid advice.

My husband, while an obvious choice, keeps me grounded and supports my ideas, even the crazy ones that have failed. He really puts things in ways that I cannot see at the time that lifts me up and allows me to pursue my ventures. I find it to be important that woman have a strong support system at home. My husband also values the importance of finding yourself after the kids are born and re-creating myself has not been an easy task, even the many times I have felt like throwing in the towel because it was getting to be too much.

it is okay to go back to the drawing board in life

What I need is a spiritual mentor. As I grow more into my faith, I am noticing I am really hungry for spiritual growth. Earlier this year, when I had my Teen Mom moment on the airplane, I reached out to someone asking them for spiritual guidance. They forwarded the email to their personal assistant asking to find a date and time so we could talk. I was actually quite hurt by this, put off and decided that this obviously would not work. I think I know who I would like this person to be, but I am praying about it.

There you have it. It is not my super 7 as Jim Collins state it should be, but they have been on my personal board since I have heard Jim speak. They really don’t know they have been slated to be on my board, but they are my go-to’s.

I had the honor of hearing Jim Collins speak again at a national industry conference later that year. I have read his book Good to Great. Many don’t know that I seriously considered double majoring in Organizational Development while working on my Master’s in Public Health. I just find that stuff so very interesting. (I was an MPH/MBA major) I took a few classes, but never had the chance to finish the second master’s and that is ok. Looking back at that time in my life, my one and only board member didn’t approve it (my husband, then boyfriend at the time) and it was truly a “great” decision.

The picture is from Free Digital Photos.

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My first “F”: How I missed the first (and second) day of kindergarten

August 24, 2012 By 7 Comments

As I have been enjoying seeing my friend’s Facebook posts on everyones first day of school, I have been scrambling to get ready for my daughter’s first day of kindergarten. I could hardly believe my daughter was going to kindergarten. We decided to put her back in private school and there is comfort knowing that she was going back to a place she already knew. She received her letter from her teacher Wednesday night, how fun! But I didn’t realize I missed her first day of school.

This week, my daughter and I created morning and night routines for her to keep all of us on schedule, we went on clip art for pictures to match the activity, ah yes, I am starting off the school year right, dreaming of me being this organized mom (ha, yeah right!). My friend and owner of BellyBum Boutique a sensory store for kids was having a Back to School for Sensory Kids Class. Perfect, I really want to start off her school year off right. While Tamara, the development therapist was talking about the importance of creating routines, helping to get your child involved to foster independence and autonomy, I am patting myself on the back thinking, “Oh yeah, check, did the routine thing” and “check, starting to do small chores such as wiping the table after dinner. Good job me.”

Then I get a text from a mom friend from school: “Hi you, we’ve missed Lilly at school. Everything ok?”

Me: gulp..wha? First I wasn’t sure who it was since my son decided to try and flush my iPhone down the toilet. I am using my husband’s old Droid which is foreign to me and I have no contacts. My mind started to race..No I thought, school starts next Tuesday, I am sure of it. I have the calendar up on the fridge, I know I missed the picnic but that was for the preschoolers and newcomers. Or was it for everyone? I refuse to be wrong, I cannot miss my daughter’s first day of school. I politely step out and call her.

Me: Hi Sarah? What’s going on? Did school start?
Sarah: *giggles* yes, it started on Tuesday.
Me: No way! Holy Shit! Are you kidding me? (I pause, did I just swear at my fellow Christian mom friend? Crap I did..and f-bombs are going off at myself in my brain)
Sarah: *giggles* yeah, but don’t worry about it, it was just a half day on Tuesday and a full day today.
Me: But I can’t believe this, I was so sure, I have it on my calendar. It is posted on my fridge! I am at a back to school class for sensory kids. I created a schedule with pictures…I have been trying to figure how to use Google calendar to streamline my husband and mine calendars…(as I am trying to explain myself that I am trying to be a good mom) and oh, don’t need a lecture how I am behind in the google world…
Me: “ugh, ok, well um, let me let you go so I can get home, thanks for checking in or else I am sure we would have showed up next week.”

Truth be told, we have been traveling quite a bit and going back and forth has been stressful on me and hard to keep it all straight.

So, I frantically walk in, tell my friend Ellen who what just happened. She laughs, says it is no biggie. I buy Lilly some sensory stuff for her first day of school as a gift, because I feel like a jerk, and she has no idea when she wakes up she is going to school for a full 7 hours. I buy my stuff and leave.

I am driving home and K-Love was on the radio. I have my hand on the door in complete disbelief at myself that I managed to miss her first and second day of school. I feel like such a failure, not only a failure, then I am going back the last 5 years in how I have let her down and I cannot believe she will be gone 7 hours a day, that I cannot make up those years. I was prepping for this for next Tuesday and have a Mommy and Daughter Day on Monday in the city. I began to think I have been working too much for nothing, trying to get myself up and running and a project I have been working on all summer for myself. I am a selfish mom, blah, blah. Then I hear a song on the radio that reminds me of her. It took me back almost 5 years ago, when she was just a newborn. I recall dancing with her to this song late night while my husband was in Texas for work. It is a calming song, I love the melody. The song is called I Am Not Who I Was by Brandon Heath. I remember thinking in this new motherhood moment that I am no longer the person I am in the past, I am a new mom and prayed that she’ll forgive me for my mistakes and I will do my best to be the best mom I can be for her. I didn’t know for what at the moment I was talking about, but I know now what I was praying for…

When I came home I rushed to the fridge to look at the calendar because surely IT was wrong not me. Ah I see, I was still looking at the preschool schedule…subconscious denial I thought.

So I told my husband…he tried to keep a blank face knowing full well I felt like a complete idiot for not paying attention. He calmly said, “Well, what do we need to do?” I said, well I am going to just clean up, get a little organized. Don’t worry, let me do it. He went to go workout and I called my mom. Even us moms need a mom, though she reminded me that we had to walk to school to go see the class lists and the start dates on the school doors. Ah, thanks mom, though she was like it will be fine. If she was going to a school she was not used to going too, it would have been different. I was beginning to feel better (after I ate some dark chocolate salted covered almonds!).

So I premade the dry ingredients to make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, got lunch together and made a sign for her to hold for her first day of kindergarten:

Lilly’s signature makes this sign complete! It will be fun to look back and see it as she grows through the years

Overall, it went off without a hitch. Lilly was so excited to go see her friends, she followed her morning routine and was proud of herself. I explained to the teacher what happened. She giggled and said, “Don’t worry, we thought you were all still on vacation. I am SOOO happy that Lilly is in my class!” As she picked her up and gave her a great big hug.

I know we made the right decision to put her back in private. The developmental therapist just raved about Lilly’s teacher, saying how she is such a gift to the teaching world and wishes there were more of her. I know she is in great Hands. And as for me, well if my first F in school was missing my daughter’s first (and second) day of kindergarten, then I’ll be ok too.

Filed Under: Faith, Family Tagged With: ,

Weightless Wednesday: My heavy heart

April 18, 2012 By 10 Comments

This is not going to be a post about weight issues, but one about what is weighing in my heart. I haven’t spoke much about my faith, I have quite a background actually. I was baptized Muslim due to an agreement with my parents, but when they divorced, I went through the crash course to being converted to Catholic at the age of 15. It wasn’t until I started dating my husband when I began to question faith again and became a Christian in June 2003. I’ll have to share my journey for another time. You see, I have often heard of God speaking and moving in people’s lives. I have felt promptings and “whispers” but never acted on them, purely out of fear and being worried about what “others thought.” It all happened on Monday on my way down to Tampa for work. Here is how my day started:

A month ago, I received a twitter invite for Mom Bloggers to experience a morning at the Peninsula Spa in Chicago. Wow! I thought, how in the world did I get picked to do have this fun opportunity? I don’t consider myself an influential person and I just started blogging. I am just someone who purely loves to help folks get healthy and make positive lifestyle changes. I thanked God privately for this invite. It was a wonderful experience. Each service was amazing and the food was made healthy and tasty. I felt relaxed and connected with other local bloggers: Sassy Mom Chicago, Evolving Stacey and Miss Lori (yes from Miss Lori’s campus). I love spas and treatments, I won’t lie, but treating myself is few and far between.

I had a rushed and whirl wind day. After the Spa, picked up my daughter, get to Whole Foods, get her to dance class, catch a cab to O’Hare to get on a flight for Tampa for work. Here is where the story unfolds. How often do you hear a church pastor talking about God’s nudges on an airplane? I always had a hard time believing it until I sat next to a single, teen mom of a 15m old boy on the plane. He was adorable and reminded me of my son. Pudgy, blue eyes and a wiggle worm. She apologized profusely for her son’s behavior in which I replied I have two kids, please do not apologize. I opened up my computer to begin working. I tried to help her a bit in calming her son down, I know it can be tough. It was 7pm, understandably he was tired, cranky. She looked at me and asked what did I do for work? I told her as she was giving her son pop and fruit punch juice. It was hard for me to not say a thing about that. It was not my place. Then our conversation began:

Her: Are you a single mom?
Me: No, but my mom was…and I have great respect for single moms.
Her: Me too, I am moving back to Tampa to start a new life and live with my mom. I have seen her twice in 14yrs (if I heard her correctly)
Me: Well that is great to be able to start fresh for your son. I bet you are excited
Her: Eh, she shrugged her shoulders

I closed my computer and listened to her, her story on what happened, her son being a preemie, the baby’s dad, etc. I will not disclose it all to respect her privacy. But as her son was getting more fussy, she was getting more frustrated… I offered to help and give her a break, she kindly refused. I took a deep breath, went to the bathroom and prayed…my heart was feeling weighted, sad for this young woman and all single, teen moms. Lord, how can I help her? What do I do? You are pushing me beyond my comfort zone and honestly, I don’t like it. I teared up with my head in my hands, the smell of the spa still lingering in my hair, I looked in the mirror and just asked just Him to guide me and I’ll take your lead. I composed myself, deep breaths and went back.

She began to tell me some things about her son’s odd behavior. I opened myself to tell her about my son’s Sensory Processing Disorder and how that looks. I felt compelled to tell her this, because it happens to any child, no matter who you are. And I am not a perfect mom with a perfect family. Her doctor told her that her son’s behavior would pass…frustrated at the poor advice of her doctor, I encouraged her to get a good doctor in Tampa. We spoke more about what she wanted to go to school for and challenged her to think about something in a different way.

At the end of the flight, I gave her my card, wrote down Sensory Processing Disorder for her and told her, here is my card. If you have any questions about anything or need some simple advice, please do not hesitate to contact me and put it in her diaper bag. I wished her well in her new life in Tampa. I do hope to hear from her, I don’t know why, but she moved my heart thanks to God’s plan.

I have not had an experience like this before, but reading the book The Missional Mom in my Mom’s group is making me think more worldly again, to see life outside my “manicured community”. God has a job for us, for each and every one of us and how we use our purpose to honor Him. God cares so much for the poor, oppressed and the at-risk, yet so few of us are worried about those last few pounds, when a single mom is struggle to just put food on the table. I ask, How well are we treating those in greater needs than our own? In society? Are we raising our children in a world that truly reflects society? I’m not…and I consider myself cultural person, at least I thought in my own head. Take a look around your comfy home. Do your kids have friends of different race, color, culture? Are you busy giving them everything they want? What good are we doing about raising the future, when we are not helping those to make a better future?

In my book back in March, I wrote the words Teen Mom at the end of Chapter 4…I didn’t know why, but I served teen moms in my mid 20′s at a local center giving them health talks and just helping them make better choices, even if it was a bad choice. I didn’t have kids back then, so they didn’t take me seriously, until I had to set them straight and share my childhood with them. Many of these teen moms are battered, exposed to drugs early, and do not have the same access to the things we take for granted. It was where I want to serve again and now it is coming full circle.

My day started and ended on a different level. I wish I could have given her my morning at the spa. She far more deserved it than I did.

Thanks God for now pushing me way beyond my comfort zone and I will take your lead in how you want me to best serve You. You have humbled me before and will patiently wait on how You want to use me. Please take care of the mom and her son, may she find a better life, go back to school and find You in her heart.

Filed Under: Faith, Parenting, Single Mom, Teen Mom, The Missonal Mom, Weightless Wednesday

Character vs. Knowledge: Where do I send my daughter for school?

April 2, 2012 By 2 Comments

Who would have thought the decision on where to send my daughter to kindergarten would be so difficult? I feel like I am scouting colleges or something. Last week Crain’s Chicago Business wrote an article about how slow home sales are forcing parents to find the right school in the city. For my husband and I, us leaving the city was never an issue, we decided long ago to raise our family in the city. But I’ll be honest, I have been quite ignorant about my where my daughter will be going to school. Thankfully I have friends that have kept me in the loop. Skinner West built a brand new school less than a mile from where my husband and I have been living for 1o years. It is a fantastic school and neighborhood moms rave about it. (Skinner has both classical and neighborhood programs, in which we qualify for neighborhood program).

In December at my daughter’s PreK Christmas celebration, moms were telling me the deadline to apply to the magnet programs was that day. I freaked out, my husband was out of town for work and filled out the forms to get the postage stamped. I did not realize it was NOT test the kids. I was applying for the lottery. *sighs* But there is something I did not mention, I absolutely LOVE my daughter’s preschool and they are adding a new year each year. I have invested much of my time in volunteering at my daughter’s school, heading up the PVO (which some of you may know it as the PTO/PTA) and I feel part of a wonderful Christ-loving community. The director has been so instrumental in helping me with my son’s Sensory Processing Disorder. When I broke down and cried from being so overwhelmed, she prayed right there for me. I felt strength again. That is powerful. This is where I want my daughter (and eventually my son) to go.

BUT…last week, we got our “acceptance” letter from the schools we had chosen. While denied the lottery for Skinner’s classical, she was accepted to both Andrew Jackson and Galileo, both within 2 miles from our condo. (yes, we have quite a few schools within a 2 mile radius) Again, both fantastic schools. The thing I really wanted to do was to tour the schools and get a feel for where my daughter may fit best (My heart already knows) . One school was super friendly, real nice to me and said to stop on in whenever, the other school was flat out snooty. And I was very, very disappointed and felt let down because this school is in my neighborhood. No excuses, no matter what your front line tells a story…

Part of my problem is that I feel I am getting WAY to caught up in the academic part of where she goes, where my husband is more concerned about her character development. We are not on the same page right now, our taxes goes to a top 10 school which is free for us. Or we can pay for an excellent private school in which my college tuition costed me 16 years ago. It is not a decision to be taken lightly.

There are pros and cons to all the schools, I won’t lie, each school excels academically. But the kindergarten homework rumors scare me in CPS. How many 5 year olds do you know that get 1.5-2 hours of homework each night? Yes, they do and some have already instilled a longer school day, which is a hot topic for our teachers right now, if you oppose it, check out their site The other issue is the rumors of a possible 30-day strike this fall because of contract negotiations.

Living in the city is great and have enjoyed seeing it grow in the last 10 years, especially my own neighborhood, but the decisions we make affects her future, where she goes to high school even, because all kids will have to test to get into a good high school. No, we don’t have a neighborhood option.

It is not that easy, my suburb friends just don’t get it when I explain it to them. My best friend’s kids go to kindergarten for 2.5 hours per day. My daughter is in PreK 3 days per week 4.5 hrs each day, eating lunch there and all. It is competitive in the city and it makes me sick to my stomach. I am choosing step away because I do not want to get caught up on “where” my daughter goes to school. Like it is a Harvard or something. I know I’ll look back and shake my head, the grades won’t matter, test scores don’t measure one’s success in life. After all, it is how my husband and I choose to raise her and teach her to be compassionate, humble, kind, loving, caring, joyful, spirited, giving and how she treats every human of every race, because you can’t give that a grade later in life. And we don’t get that opportunity to teach that later in life either.

Daughter's First Day of PreK 4

Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live, as well as strong to think.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Filed Under: Chicago Public Schools, Faith, Family, Parenting Tagged With: , , ,