Child’s Play

While talking with a colleague one afternoon about a serious teenage matter, I was reminded of how infatuated I was with my high school sweetheart around that age. I remembered how important the role each adult played in my life when I felt abandoned after a break up. This colleague told me about a student, who happens to be an orphan, hasn’t been to school in over a week. Ironically his girlfriend’s parents came up to the school looking for him because the girlfriend had gone missing. Yes, you read that correctly. This 19 year old girl had been reported missing for a week. Now the next part of this story will prove the theory about how teenagers haven’t developed all of their frontal cortex (I think that’s right) and this is how they make so many bad decisions.
The young couple had changed their relationship status on a popular social website just before they both went missing. The girl has not updated her status nor spoken to anyone. The young man, who is an orphan, updated once. No one still has not seen nor heard from this young man. Un fortunately, he is suspected of killing her. If you are reading this, please take a moment to remember a couple of the bad decisions you made as a teenager. Then pray for the families of these two kids, and the well being of this young lady.

Brown Sugar & Babies

One major conversational piece in our society is child support. Some men complain about the amount of money they are ordered to pay and how little time they are granted to spend with their child. Some women admit that hitting a man in the pockets is equivalent to a man raising a child. How did society reach such a screwed up mentality?

In my opinion, if a woman makes due to raise a child on her own, no matter the struggle, then raise your child. I know how hard it is to raise a child alone. Don’t become a statistic by being vindictive. Being a single parent can be expensive, exhausting, overwhelming, & at times draining. What many mothers are able to do is look in her child’s face and appreciate the genuine love she feels. Side note: by no means am I belittling the fathers who do it alone. I applaud you as well! I wish that parents could realize how important it is for children to see a family unit within the household. Children learn how to love and the roles of each person.

This is a topic that concerns me very deeply. I hate to see parents “trash talk” the other parent in front of the child. I hate to see women attempt to force herself back into the life of the father by way of the child. I hate to see a father go on with his life with little to no regard about the life he helped create. The only person who suffers, is the child…

Brown Sugar’s Verbal Clarity

James 1:23-25 (New International Version)

23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

We all know a person who talks a good game, but doesn’t carry the weight of the actions along with it. I have a close friend, we’ll call him Braxton, who is insulted by a comment his mother made. She actually told him that his twin sons would amount to nothing because of the lack of parental involvement both he and his children’s mother play in the kids lives. Ouch!
We all know oh too well how opinionated our parents can be… Especially when no one wants their opinions in the first place. Now I’m the type of person that jumps to react when someone says I “can’t” do something. I do not understand how he could hear his mother say something so demeaning, yet do nothing to improve his interactions with his twin boys. The interactions are distant, vacant, and pretty much none existent. His paternal extinct tells him that being in the same room with the boys is fathering. How/when does a man, not only become a man, but also learn how to father his children???

Brown Sugar’s Career

Are you sick of highly paid teachers?

Teachers’ hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do – babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That’s right. Let’s give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan– that equals 6 1/2 hours).

Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day…maybe 30? So that’s $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day.

However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET’S SEE….

That’s $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master’s degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute — there’s something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher’s salary (nationwide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days= $277.77/per day/30

students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student–a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Make a teacher smile; repost this to show appreciation for all educators.

Brown Sugar’s Inquiry

Suspicious or unduly suspicious or fearful of being displaced by a rival;
Lacking self-confidence or assurance
These two definitions describe a common characteristic of a certain person I know. The question is how do I possibly maintain a calm mind while tolerating someone of this caliber? These features, in my opinion, make people stagnant & unpleasant. “If you’re lucky enough to be different, don’t dare change to be someone you’re not.”

Brown Sugar’s Sorors

This weekend my illustrious chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Inc. Crossed an amazing group of young ladies. Words cannot explain the pride and joy in my heart knowing that no matter the obstacles, Eta Xi will remain tight & on point! This post is strictly for all the Sorors, past and present that showed love. It’s because of you that Eta Xi grows and progresses by leaps & bounds!
OOOOOOOOO~OOOOOOOOP!!!!

Brown Sugar’s Comeback

Where do I begin blogosphere?! So much has happened in the past couple of years! Let’s make it easy and add to my 100 things about me page!
Five things that have changed or are new:
1. I’ve transitioned from middle school to high school.
2. I’m certified to teach grades 4-12! Whew
3. My daughter’s father has come around after five years. He’s a big part of her life now.
4. I’ve learned not everyone has your best interests at heart.
5. I’ve started back exercising regularly.

Foods I Dislike

Adding to my “100 Things About Me List” though it is not in any particular order, the foods that I dislike are as follows:

1. Chitterlings (Just imagining where they come from and how they smell, I don’t find them edible AT ALL!)

2. Liver (When I was little, I hid my liver in my hand and placed my plate on top of it so I could sneak to throw it in the trash.)

3. Black eyed peas (are people attractive with black eyes? Well neither are peas.)

4. Licorice (just tastes like old tires.)

5.Chicken on the bone (Yes, I am black! When I was younger, my brother told me that if I ate the black vein in the chicken then I would grow chicken parts! I’ve gone so long not eating it, that I think I developed a taste aversion!

 

It’s good to be back guys! I have plenty to share!!!

Brown Sugar’s Needs….

I’m adding this to my 100 things about me! Way to get one in!!! After reading mine, go ahead and do yours! It’s amusing!!!

Go to Google and write your name and the word ‘needs’, in quotes — as in “Brown Sugar needs.” Find the first 10 “logical” sentences that come up and make your comments after. Here’s what I got:

11. Brown Sugar needs to keep her clothes on. (LOL, it’s my way of unwinding after a stressful day! Kinda like shedding old skin if you shall!)

12. Brown Sugar needs a new nose- thanks to cocaine. (I don’t know what the hell that’s about!)

13. Brown Sugar needs to have its mouth washed out. (You know, I did tell my students today that I would stop cursing… Then one of those little bastards popped a water balloon in my room. You can guess how that ended.)

14. Brown Sugar needs us. (To leave her the hell alone.)

15. Brown Sugar needs a nickname. (What do they think “Brown SUgar” is???)

16. Brown Sugar needs a hug. (OK, I can agree with this one.)

17. Brown Sugar needs a home. Please help her find one. (This recession is beginning to get the best of me. What’s all the hubbub about the stimulus package again?)

18. Brown Sugar needs fashion help as usual. (Come on people! I just spent a small fortune in New York & Company!)

19. Brown Sugar needs your presence. (Guess I need to do this lent thing huh? Talk about showing me a sign!)

20. Brown Sugar needs an eye exam. (Ummm… how often are you supposed to get them? I just did this early 2008.)

Business of fears and challenges

I encountered a situation recently and I’m not exactly sure how to blog about it. It happened on Jan 31st . Can you tell how long it has taken me to blog about it? What I can say is that I have gone through what seems like a torrent of emotions only to have reached this conclusion: I have failed. Whenever I was asked my greatest fear, I would always say, “I’m fearful of failing”. As a Feisty Leo I have way too much pride -as an adult I’m able to admit that

Well good people, I have failed. It wasn’t a small simple fail either, I’m talking possibly one of those life altering failures.  Have you ever heard of P. Diddy’s all girl group Danity Kane? Their song Damaged is my theme song right now! Can’t really say if the words are what makes it my theme song or if I truly love the beat!

The song ends with Diddy talking, and he states sometimes you have to go through the pain to experience the joy; this too shall pass. The optimistic side of me knows 2 Timothy 1:7 (For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.) and I do believe that, so actually I shouldn’t even have a “fear”.

Excuse my rambling-if I express myself, maybe I’ll get an answer.

Blogosphere, I may have messed up or I may not have messed up at all, what I do know is I am totally confused. I’m sure you all can tell just from reading this.