I originally posted this as a blog and received some great responses so I decided to post it as a discussion to open it up to everyone!
In this day and age, are we doing more harm to our future by constantly forcing our children to remember our historic leaders, instead of giving them a real life example to imitate?
I'm not discounting anything our ancestors did, because I still look to them for guidance, but a child learns to walk by watching someone else walk, not by hearing stories about how his grandmother learned to walk! We are a visual people and we need tangible evidence that we can make it in anything, especially since so many have gone to such great lengths to produce evidence that we can't!
We, as adults, are outraged at the impact that entertainers have on our children and just about every area of our lives but that industry is the only one that consistently produces outcomes that appeal to our children! Economics 101 suggests that supply and demand will always co-exist. And, the ingenious plan of the entertainment industry is that they CREATE the supply, thus also CONTROLLING the demand!
Our children are commodities to society! The world is like a big business and we need to start forecasting like everyone else! We need to teach our children to act and not react to what's going on around them. We need to include them in the decision making process, so they will learn how to make rational, well thought out decisions! This way, instead of our children contributing to the billion dollar fashion/music/entertainment industry as simply consumers, they can contribute as producers, or manufacturers! Entertainers entice our children with their "money" but forget to reveal the blueprints to the bank... Oh but I forgot, they always pay tribute to the fans at the awards... "cuz without you I wouldn't be here"... damn right!
Since it's obvious no one is going to leave the backdoor open for the kid with two arms but needs a hand, we have to prepare them with the tools to take the damn thing off the hinges!
-Ablack
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Nichelle Gray > Karen A. DavisSeptember 24, 2007 at 12:24pm
BelindaS.
The funny thing is, the money is just sitting there waiting to be asked for! The problem is as children, we're taught not to ask for things because we didn't want to give others the impression that we didn't get at home, so now as adults, we have a problem asking for what is available to us... just a thought! But right now i'm starting with my church and community center. I'm working on a proposal for a financial program for children and I just got elected as business manager for my church because I have so many ideas for programs! If anyone lives in the Bronx and wants to be a part of the initial process, by all means contact me!
I agree with you 100% about educating our children. My husband and I try to educate our children (10 & 4) everyday about entrepreneurship. My daughter wants to be a fashion designer and we encourage her to do it by providing educational materials such as bios on other designers, sewing classes, art classes and etc.
But what do we do with the other children who parents are not that entrepreneur savy or have that fear of steping out in that fashion or are not edcuated about the buisness industry themselves. We as black people are taught to "get a job because that crazy idea is not going to work." We need to change the way we think and educate ourselves so we can teach our children. I do believe we are moving in the right direction, but we still have a ways to go.
Nichelle Gray > Teresa McLaurinSeptember 25, 2007 at 9:23pm
Hello Teresa:
Welcome to my discussion! You answered your own question, we have to change the way we think. The problem is issues are being addressed in partiality. People feel like if they feed a homeless person, they've fixed his/her problem, but if he is still homeless, he'll be hungry again and he still doesn't have a place to live or the skills to maintain what he needs. I've seen it so many times here, The city rushes to take women out of the shelter system because it's very costly. They get the apts and within five years are homeless again because they never learned how to pay bills, or maintain a household or the consequences or severity of breaking a lease.... or even that a lease is a contract!
I'm glad you are encouraging your children to realize their dreams, unfortunately there will always be people who are better at following instead of stepping up and taking the lead position. My problem is, WHY IS IT ALWAYS OUR CHILDREN WHO FOLLOW? It's not because they don't have the talent or the intellect to be leaders but they are not encouraged to experiment or think outside the box during those extremely important years.
A couple of years ago there was a story in the news about a truck that got stuck under an overpass because it didn't realize the height restrictions. For hours people stood around trying to figure out how to get this truck out. A child said, why don't you let the air out of the tires!
I took a psychology class and learned that we learn everything we will need in life by the time we are six years old.... everything else is a repeat of past lessons just applied at different levels to fit the situation! Once you learn to read, write and think logically, you can master anything! unfortunately during the years when our children are the most susceptible to absorbing massive amounts of info, they're watching cartoons, playing video games or learning songs off the radio!
I'm about to start a network very similar to this one, but that offers things we can do with our children, so please stay in touch.... and tell others. We need to make a pact.... if we want to save our race... we better save the children first! We need to remember we are not raising our "babies", we're raising someone's future husband/wife, business owner, law maker, advocate, etc! THESE CHILDREN DON'T BELONG TO US.... THEY BELONG TO THE WORLD THAT THEY MUST IMPACT! I HEARD A QUOTE THAT SAID "THOSE WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE A CHANGE, HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE A CHANGE -UNKNOWN
I will stay in touch and I totally agree with what you said about our children are someone's future husband/wife and etc...Most people don't look at it that way...But I love the way you said that.
I agree with you 100%. Most of our youth are being educated by the entertainment industry. Making it rain, what kind of non-sense is that! It is up to us parents, to make sure that our kids understand the importance of the almighty dollar and making sure that we give our children the tools it takes to make it happen for themselves and the community.
When I was a child I wasn't taught entrepreneurialism. Which is how the top five of 400 forbes richest acheived their wealth:
The very richest:
Top 5
Net worth
Source of wealth
How became rich
Bill Gates
$59 billion
Software -- Microsoft (MSFT, news, msgs)
Self-made
Adina, you are doing your thing. We are in the process of starting a Single Parents Ministry at church. The ministry will address some of the issues between parent and child that you have mentioned. It's truly time for the church to stand up and take back what the devil has stolen. We have got to get out of the box that says that everything we do must be inside the four walls of the church building. Hopefully at a good church people are being saved everytime the doors open, but as Christians we still need to reach out into the community and grab hold of those who may still be lost or who are on their way to being lost. When you get parents on the right spiritual track and get them into having better relationships with God, they will have better relationships with their children, which will in turn have long term effects on the self awareness, self esteem, and self pride that the children have. This is a snowball effect that can only have good results. You see, God put us on site for a reason. We are connecting the dots that he has placed. I'm not in the NYC but I do have family there so keep me posted. Do you have any experience with grant writing? I'm taking a course right now.
Encouraging words always go a long way with me! No I don't have any experience with grant writing...yet, but just like a lot that I know, I will learn with assistance, or through self teaching! My pastor is going to work on the grants once we get the people in place to show that we need it. so while he's working from that end, I'll be attacking the problem from the other side. You are so right though, it seems like once religion was removed from things, everything started coming apart. people's values and guidance became lost and we've become a people trying to navigate in the dark. I didn't grow up in the church, but I joined my church about two years ago and I see where my gifts will be put to the best use. I've always felt that I was put on this earth to help people but I didn't know how to do it, the church is giving me that outlet.
Replies
The funny thing is, the money is just sitting there waiting to be asked for! The problem is as children, we're taught not to ask for things because we didn't want to give others the impression that we didn't get at home, so now as adults, we have a problem asking for what is available to us... just a thought! But right now i'm starting with my church and community center. I'm working on a proposal for a financial program for children and I just got elected as business manager for my church because I have so many ideas for programs! If anyone lives in the Bronx and wants to be a part of the initial process, by all means contact me!
U.N.T. (until next time)...
-Ablack
But what do we do with the other children who parents are not that entrepreneur savy or have that fear of steping out in that fashion or are not edcuated about the buisness industry themselves. We as black people are taught to "get a job because that crazy idea is not going to work." We need to change the way we think and educate ourselves so we can teach our children. I do believe we are moving in the right direction, but we still have a ways to go.
Welcome to my discussion! You answered your own question, we have to change the way we think. The problem is issues are being addressed in partiality. People feel like if they feed a homeless person, they've fixed his/her problem, but if he is still homeless, he'll be hungry again and he still doesn't have a place to live or the skills to maintain what he needs. I've seen it so many times here, The city rushes to take women out of the shelter system because it's very costly. They get the apts and within five years are homeless again because they never learned how to pay bills, or maintain a household or the consequences or severity of breaking a lease.... or even that a lease is a contract!
I'm glad you are encouraging your children to realize their dreams, unfortunately there will always be people who are better at following instead of stepping up and taking the lead position. My problem is, WHY IS IT ALWAYS OUR CHILDREN WHO FOLLOW? It's not because they don't have the talent or the intellect to be leaders but they are not encouraged to experiment or think outside the box during those extremely important years.
A couple of years ago there was a story in the news about a truck that got stuck under an overpass because it didn't realize the height restrictions. For hours people stood around trying to figure out how to get this truck out. A child said, why don't you let the air out of the tires!
I took a psychology class and learned that we learn everything we will need in life by the time we are six years old.... everything else is a repeat of past lessons just applied at different levels to fit the situation! Once you learn to read, write and think logically, you can master anything! unfortunately during the years when our children are the most susceptible to absorbing massive amounts of info, they're watching cartoons, playing video games or learning songs off the radio!
I'm about to start a network very similar to this one, but that offers things we can do with our children, so please stay in touch.... and tell others. We need to make a pact.... if we want to save our race... we better save the children first! We need to remember we are not raising our "babies", we're raising someone's future husband/wife, business owner, law maker, advocate, etc! THESE CHILDREN DON'T BELONG TO US.... THEY BELONG TO THE WORLD THAT THEY MUST IMPACT! I HEARD A QUOTE THAT SAID "THOSE WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE A CHANGE, HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE A CHANGE -UNKNOWN
-Ablack
When I was a child I wasn't taught entrepreneurialism. Which is how the top five of 400 forbes richest acheived their wealth:
The very richest:
Top 5
Net worth
Source of wealth
How became rich
Bill Gates
$59 billion
Software -- Microsoft (MSFT, news, msgs)
Self-made
Warren Buffett
$52 billion
Investing -- Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, news, msgs)
Self-made
Sheldon Adelson
$28 billion
Gambling/leisure -- Las Vegas Sands (LVS, news, msgs)
Self-made
Larry Ellison
$26 billion
Software -- Oracle (ORCL, news, msgs)
Self-made
Sergey Brin / Larry Page (tie)
$18.5 billion
Technology -- Google (GOOG, news, msgs)
Education is definitely the key, however, giving our children the right tools to make the right decisions is up to us.
Very well written Ablack.
-Tina
Encouraging words always go a long way with me! No I don't have any experience with grant writing...yet, but just like a lot that I know, I will learn with assistance, or through self teaching! My pastor is going to work on the grants once we get the people in place to show that we need it. so while he's working from that end, I'll be attacking the problem from the other side. You are so right though, it seems like once religion was removed from things, everything started coming apart. people's values and guidance became lost and we've become a people trying to navigate in the dark. I didn't grow up in the church, but I joined my church about two years ago and I see where my gifts will be put to the best use. I've always felt that I was put on this earth to help people but I didn't know how to do it, the church is giving me that outlet.
U.N.T.
-Ablack