I WISH

10/20/2008 Diary of "JP Star"

This morning I dropped my daughter off to school; as usual we kiss, say "I love you" and she's off to a world where she learns and grows from underneath my watchful eye. As India heads up the many stairs to her (junior high resembling) elementary school, my attention is taken away from her ascend into the building. Loud music is coming from somewhere, disturbing the peace on this inner city, yet very suburban street. Actually, I mean treble because the music was lost in distortion. I see that the driver is male and there are four children in the back seat, three boys and one girl who is obviously the eldest. As the car door opens and the kids spill out onto the side walk, my ears are met with the lyrics " I wish a motha&uka would!" This hook played at least three two four times before going into a verse. Shocked and amazed, seriously… I couldn't even give this man props for doing his daddy thing because of the manner in which he was doing it. This was the message he was sending his impressionable young children to school with. The foul language and aggression of "I wish a m-f-er would." Those children were probably singing that song in their heads and their attitudes and defense to their peers may be just that, wishing someone would test them. Yes, and when they are suspended for fighting or lashing out at a teacher, it will be the parents who will blame the child. The messages the parents have allowed to manifest into them will have had nothing to do with it. Sadly, the parents will be completely oblivious to the part they played. In that moment I felt sad for those children. I felt even worse for myself, "wishing" I could afford private schooling for my daughter . I asked myself "what am I doing" by allowing her to attend a school where most of the children there probably wished a "m-f-er would."

All I know is, I have to sell these books, take these photo's, get on these mic's and finish school… I have to do better so that my daughter KNOWS better!

[He]ART always,TavyDay