HOW ARE THE CHILDREN?

It is written the fabled Masai warriors of the African tribe of Kenya have a traditional  greeting, Kasserian Ingere?  This greeting translates to Are the children well?,  or  How are the children?  The expected response is All the children are well, meaning we are protecting our children, making them our priority and assuring they are growing in a healthy loving environment, that adult challenges are not an excuse to neglect the proper care of our children.

So, my family, what can we honestly say when asked Kasserian Ingere?  If we respond All the children are well, we are lying.  Our children are dying in the streets, not thriving in school, not living their best life, fueled by adults that have fallen down on their responsibilities.   Our communities are not well. 

Elected officials seem to think that more police on the street is the solution, lock them up is their mantra.  We know better.  This is not a policing problem and unless they are going to put righteous people on the street to interact positively with the community, they will only continue to supply the prison system, which is the true intention.   When are we going to face the fact that we must address the root causes of our families making unhealthy decisions?  We know what is not working in our communities and another Town Hall meeting is not going to change those facts.

African proverb:  The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.  We all can feel that heat.  We have generations of children who were not and still are not feeling the love.  The work to be done is difficult and we must embrace children of all ages, but with determination and a commitment to ourselves, families and communities.  We can and must turn this around. 

We have choices.  If those claiming to lead and work in our best interest are self- serving, we can and must strip them of their power.  The time has obviously come for the elders to pass the mantle, to trust and support  the next generation, that we raised.  They certainly cannot mess it up, it is already a mess. 

The other side of this narrative is many of our children are doing well, believe in themselves and are on a path to be the phenomenal people they were destined to be, despite the challenges and roadblocks, which adults need to remove.   We are raising some resilient warriors who will continue to fight to get what is rightfully theirs, we need to support them, lift them up and recognize and highlight the good they are doing.   Our children should not have to do something bad to make the front page of the newspaper or the 5 o’clock news.   We should be celebrating daily their many accomplishments, all that are doing the right thing.

The only way to make change is to start now and remain steadfast.  January is National Mentoring Month.   Mentoring is not the answer to all our challenges, but it will, if you do it consistently and with patience, it has the power to make a difference. 

You up for it?  Your down for it?  Tag, you it.