letter to future kids.

PS. first and foremost, listen to God. follow Him. He will direct you. He will correct you. He will protect you. that’s His promise. let Jesus be your role model.

that’s a PS. but instead of P meaning POST, it’s PRE. so it’s still a PS, get it. just at the beginning. PRESCRIPT.. yeah anyway.

to kids.

you have a full time father in me, kids. you have a father who was ready for you when your mother was pregnant with you. not a father who was shooting shots all over the league and ya momma became apart of the winning team. you were planned. know that.

you have a father who cares about your well being more than anything. father who won’t sacrifice his happiness to see you happy, but one who knows your happiness equals his happiness.

kids, you’re gonna appreciate what you got. you’re gonna be content with having your hands full or having your hands empty. you’re gonna be content with loving life. you will see how beautiful life is when you love YOUR life.

you have a father who loves your momma. a father who ain’t thinking twice about stepping out on ya momma. a father who will make sure you see a healthy relationship between your momma and daddy.

a father that’ll define and then show you what a fatherly love is. every day.

as you can see, love is important to me. you will be loved.

you will be independent. you just will. this isn’t negotiable. you will be. you will walk home from school. you will have your own money. you will be able to stand on your own but i got you all the time. you will know what work is. not necessarily for a corporation, but you will work. you will know how to cook. you will know how to wash dishes. you will know how to wash clothes. you will know how to clean the bathtub. you will know how to iron clothes. if you always get a meal handed to you and never learn to fish, you’re replaceable. you will not be replaceable, in ANY realm.

kids, you will know how to use money. you will not be careless with money. you will be your own boss. you will know how to save money, sow money, and spend money. you will be a force.

my parents weren’t born with money. they taught my siblings and me how to preserve. you will be taught how to preserve.

kids, you have a father who has emotions. and is human. there will be times you will think i’m indestructible. i am not. i am human. i will disappoint you. i will let you down. i’m telling you now, daughter. your father is the first man you will love, and you will compare other guys to me, but i fall short in many areas. i’m telling you that now, son. your father is amazing. but i’m not perfect.

but, i am a man. you will see what a man is. i don’t get paid to be a man. it’s who i am. it’s what i am. there will be no confusion as to what you think a real man is living with me.

you will understand what misogynior is. and you will understand that Black women are queens, just like the mommas before you that got you here. you will respect women. that ain’t an option. we will have plenty of talks but your momma will be your point of reference mainly as she is the queen of this house.

you will love your skin. you will love your hair. you will love your lips and nose and weight and alldat. you will know about your culture. your history. i will do all i can do to prevent brainwashing. you will appreciate your motherland. you won’t be waving no amerikkkan flag or pledging allegiance to a country that has betrayed me and you… yo momma and yo cousin too. that’s out. you will see why. there’s some things i did just to mimic my parents growing up because i THOUGHT “well they’re cool. and if my parents are cool, this must be” but i grew. i thought that. but then i was TAUGHT. you will see what i’m talking about.

if you decide to work for a company, daughter, you will be confident and fearless having braids in the interview. if you decide to work for a company, son, you will be confident and fearless having locs in the interview.

you gon love the way you talk. you ain’t gonna take that “well that’s not proper grammar” from anyone. you’re going to understand the difference between education and intelligence. and realize most people are educated but aren’t intelligent.

you won’t be wedded to the idea of college is the only way. you will have options. you will have a mind of your own. don’t ever think if you don’t have a degree, you’re stupid. don’t ever believe if you don’t have a degree, you’re not valuable. society might say that, you don’t follow what society says. i don’t care. your momma don’t care. society tells you tons of things and ideals that aren’t true. you are intelligent. more intelligent than your father ever was. don’t believe college makes you important. don’t believe an ivy league school makes you more smart. might make you more educated, but not intelligent. knowledge is what you have. education is what is forced down your throat. brainwashing.

if you’re reading a textbook that says “the best form of government is a 2 way party. it is highly successful and beneficial to all.” and to get an A on a test, you have to properly answer the multiple choice question “what is the best form of government?” A) a 2 way party. B) Parliamentary system. C) Socialism. or D) Dictatorship. now you might know socialism is the best, but IF YOU ANSWER ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT THE TEXTBOOK THAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU AT A YOUNG AGE TELLS YOU IS THE BEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT, YOU WILL FAIL A TEST. FAILING A TEST MEANS BAD GRADE. BAD GRADE MEANS NO DEGREE. NO DEGREE MEANS “NOT EDUCATED.” boom. brainwashed 101. my kids will not be brainwashed by society. my kids will not be brainwashed by the school system.

you’re gonna have tough skin. your confidence is going to be booming like mine. your self esteem, kids, will be frightening to your peers and so what.

now this might frighten you. i was when my dad told me what i’m about to tell you: you will get pulled over, just like me. you will be followed around in stores, just like me. you will be called a nigger, just like me. you will witness passive racism, just as your father did. you will witness overt racism, just as your father did. but you will survive, just like your father has. it will not break you, daughter. it will not break you, son, as that is the goal of racism. to reduce you. but it ain’t happening. as a child of mine, these attempts won’t break you. you won’t fear anything in this world. you got God on your side. and if God is on your side, the battle is won. none of that foolishness is a reflection of you, they’re stupid. they’re childish. you are perfect the way you are.

daughter, beautiful Black baby girl, you will experience sexism. it will not keep you back. it will not keep you under a ceiling. it will make you stronger. i don’t make promises. ask your mother. but word is bond.

a hip hop artist who goes by Big K.R.I.T once said “mommas been crying and they gon keep crying. police been firing and they gon keep firing. Black folk been dying and they gon keep dying. government been lying and they gon keep lying.” you must do all you can do to stop that cycle.

now, i’m trying to make this a better life for you and your future kids. but if you don’t like the conditions of the world you live in, do something about it. there’s people who say what’s not supposed and supposed to happen… and there’s people who don’t talk but just make sure what’s supposed to happen, happens. you will be the latter. you will be brave. you won’t be educated due to your nationality. but you will be intelligent and wise. knowledge is power but wisdom is control. and you will have control.

kids, you have a father who wants the best for you. a father who will be real with you at all times. a father who won’t feed an adult baby food. ya momma can be the idealist. ya momma can pamper you. ya momma can be all “awww” but poppa’s job is to be a realist. i try but i’m not as balanced as you would want me to be. but this union between me and your momma is balanced. the areas in which i lack, ya momma flourishes in. i made a conscious effort to make sure of that when we were dating way before you you arrived. 1, so i can be a better man while supporting your momma be a better woman. 2, so you can be the best you. there will be no lack.

if you don’t get the answer from me, momma gottem. and if not, we will figure of the answer together. deal?

being the great man i am, your momma is too. equally. better. it’s easy to say the offspring of Martin Luther King Jr were kids of the great Martin Luther King Jr… but they were also offspring of the great Coretta. Malcolm was great, but Betty is her own woman. Mary birthed Jesus, but Joseph was right there. it’s a union. people will always respect my wife. your momma is amazing. your momma is A1. your momma great. you are the kids of me and your momma.

ask questions. ask tons of questions. ask “why?” all the time. to me. your momma. teachers. pastors. friends. God. ask until you get answers. and do not move an inch until you get answers that’s are feasible. you might not have to agree, but if the answer does not make sense or against YOUR beliefs… don’t do it. don’t feel pressured either, daughter. don’t feel pressured son. this will get you in trouble. it will make people upset. it will. i got your back.

stand up for what’s right. do ever get tired of doing the right thing. don’t ever get tired of loving. don’t ever get tired of fighting for what you believe. ever. your opinions matter. your ideas are important. stand up to bullies. stand up to me. stand up to pastors. stand up to society. you will fight. use your voice. use your health. use your resources. trust God.

you gotta father who will make sure your goals will be realized.

and don’t forget, God got ya back. when you leave Him, He’s still there. when you forget about Him, He’s still thinking about you. when you neglect Him, He’s still invested in you. you might turn your back on Him but as long as you’re alive, He will always welcome His children back.

kids, you will have a great father. but you will be greater. that’s my word.

first, second verse, this my third.

*listen to Legacy by Jay-Z.