Ya know, a lot o’ the time when we write or talk ’bout parents and their children, most o’ the time it does be about children who own-way, hard-ears, rebellious and doan do well wid any kinda authority.We tend tuh talk bout the ones who more often than not end up before the law courts or in some kinda trouble or the other. Most, if not all the time, we does blame the mothers as evahbody know dat dem is the ones who does raise dem. Not a soul doan blame the fathers. Um is always the poor mothers who does get saddled wid the abuse of raising these rebels.This is why when I see, hear or read ’bout the children who turn out tuh be successful, it does really bless my heart. It does make me feel good because I know the stress poor parents go through tuh keep duh children, especially the boy children focused and on the right track.I know dat it is particularly hard pon a woman when she has tuh raise a boy child in this day and age by sheself and when the influence out there is so strong; I does sympathise wid these women who does have tuh wear the hats of both man and woman tuh try tuh bring up the boy the right way.I ain’t know if ya’all understand what I mean; but ya see while she know that as a boy he gine want tuh be more rough and tumble than a girl, she is still a woman and gine want tuh act like a female, but she does have tuh unwrap sheself tuh work wid her son so as not tuh bring him up too soft.Then, by the mere mercies o’ God she get he through the pre-teen years and one day she wake up and hear this big-able crakey voice in she house, and all of a sudden she realise dat she has a big hale teenage son tuh feed, clothe, contend wid, love and still keep a firm hand pon.This is when a totally different type o’ stress, heartache, fear, concern and worrying does kick in evah time he set foot outta the house, especially in this day and age.Now even though she knows dat this boy ain’t wrapped up in nuh kinda bad behaviour or he doan line up heself wid the bad boys, whenever he leaves dat house tuh say he going by his friends, by the shop tuh buy a malt or a Plus or he just gine tuh hang out at one o’ the fast food joints where ya does see a lot o’ young people, she does still be there waiting and hoping and praying dat he ain’t in nuh kinda nutten and dat he gine return home safely and in one piece.Look, my sister got a son who at the time was about 19 years old. He was about six feet tall and was still at school. And I could remember one night the boy just left home tuh drop off a video tuh one o’ he friends from school and when he was coming back home three boys grabble he up and start fighting wid he tuh steal the chain from ’round he neck. Well, he ain’t nuh fighter but he start tuh fight back, and eventually the crooks tek off and left him all scratch up and bruised. When he get home my sister almost had a heart attack, but he was fine.Now, you know dat dat coulda gone a different route. He coulda lost his life just so fuh a foolish chain and tuh some igrant thieves who ain’t got one thing tuh live for apart from a smoke, a high.I say all this tuh say dat I cahn begin tuh understand how a poor mother does feel when after sacrificing and investing suhmuch into a boy child, now dat he gets tuh the stage where he could do something fuh heself and she could sit back, relax and watch him achieve and fulfil his dreams, some idiot come along and, fuh whatever reason, kill he off just so and gone long. It got tuh be real hard.It look like nowadays you cahn miss and have nuh kinda argument wid nuhbody; otherwise it seems like it does end wid a knife or gun. Look, when I hear ’bout all o’ deaths of young men by shooting and stabbing it saddens me. This is why I hope and pray dat the people who see or know anything ’bout these kinds o’ deaths would call the police and help dem get these people who ain’t got nuh kinda regard fuh life off the streets; and even though I know dat these mothers will bounce back because they are resilient, we should continue tuh pray dat God gives them peace dat they would be able tuh sleep at night and move on after that.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.