Monday Motivation: Loving our Kids

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul, than the way it treats its children – Nelson Mandela

I have six children. Six whole entire beings to love, cherish, and honor. Being a mom all these years, I have grown to think of myself as not just a mother to my own kids but a mother in the world. All children are my children, all children matter. Black and Latinx, children are especially vulnerable to exploitation, my heart grows and stretches, daily that my love might be able to protect them.

Even if I didn’t have any children, it seems common sense that we should center our young ones, build them up and elevate them – they are the joy and the light of our society.

Brown girls, as we go through our lives this week, I would like us to consider how we can better support the nurturance of our children. I would like for us to consider we can take better care of them. Consider that we are not helpless. That it is not hopeless. That we can lead with love and center our kids.

In Mandela’s words I hear an indictment, everything we haven’t been able to do to keep our kids safe, healthy, sheltered, fed, and most of all, protected. I know that doesn’t feel much like inspiration but we have some hard truths to face about our lives as brown girls, mothers, children, friends.

In the weeks ahead I will come to these words and consider them often. I hope you all do as well. Let’s love each other hard this week and always.