My Baby Daddy

Now that I'm working at the high school, I have the same thought as I leave to go home every day. I can't believe that two of my male students are fathers. Yes, I know that almost anybody can reproduce, but these two should not have been given that opportunity.

The first student had his baby in middle school. He's now in 10th grade. He sleeps, does nothing and curses like a sailor. (How old is that saying? It's the best one I could come up with. LOL!) He doesn't work hard. Hell, he doesn't work. He's raising a child. Hard work should be in his vocabulary if not his favorite term to use. IMO

The second student loves to be a clown. That's not the problem. The problem is that he farts on purpose just to get a rise out of his classmates. This kid is raising a child. If the child could know better, do you think he would be proud of his papa?

Ugh. Judgmental, I know. I just can't get over the fact that those children are going to raise our next generation. The issues that these children will experience because they;re being raised by children. They won't all be statistics, but many will.

The Dirty Thirties!

Your 30s are your best years. Seriously.

Let me start in the beginning. From 0-5, you don't know what's going on. EVERY single one of your needs and wants is fed to you by adults. Heck, you don't even know what your wants are. From 5-10, you just want to play on the playground. From 10-15, you're just trying to fit in. Which group am I apart of? Am I a nerd? Am I a rebel? Do I belong with the emo kids? Am I a loner? Is everyone up my butt because I'm that darn popular?! You're trying to figure it out. And lastly, from 15-20, you just want to be an adult. Little do you know, although you're 18, you're not really an adult. Yes, you can vote, but YOU HAVE NO IDEA what it means to be an adult. 

Let's get to your 20s. Again, those first few years, you think you're an adult but you still have no idea. More than likely, you're partying and clubbing your butt off because you have a level of independence that you've never experienced before. If you're in college, you're taking full advantage. That's the way it should be. 

But ba-bee, come 25, ish gets real. If you're a college grad not born with a silver spoon in your mouth, Sallie Mae is more than likely breathing down your neck. You're probably thinking, "Oh, so this is what they call life." However, you're still fond of that independence you've been experiencing for the last 5 or so years, so you're still teetering the line between ALL FUN v. ADULTHOOD.  But that's ok; you're entitled, you're 20something. 

Here come your 30s. They signify the fact that you're a survivor. You survived your 20s. (I read that somewhere; it's definitely true.) Yes, they're scary, especially 30. You get a week before your birthday to freak out and that's it. Move on. Why? Because you are about to have experience REAL life. REAL life, Shameka? Yes, REAL life. Hopefully, you've learned how to manage your responsibilities while interspersing some fun up in there. At this point, you realize that life is short, and it is definitely time to live, whatever that means to you. You've figured out the true meaning of friendship and can recognize real friends in your life. You also know that people play different roles in your life, whether they're the person you go to for advice, the person that you travel with occasionally but not talk to on a daily basis because they irk your spirit and you can only deal with them in small doses. You also don't have time for BS. Point. Blank. Period. 

Your 30s are your best years because it's only downhill from there, right? Once you hit 40, they call it "over the hill", right? Then there's your 50s. And your 60s. No shade to these ages, as there is still life to be lived. But enjoy your 30s before you start that decline on that "hill."