Before I begin, I just want to let you know that I got my son’s permission to share.
One thing I’ve always admired about my children, is the way they love each other. As an unconventional mom, I have very unconventional children lol. They will go to the ends of the earth for each other, and sometimes, they’ll cuss each other out. I call it healthy balance!
The photo above is of my oldest son, and my middle son. I snuck the photo because it was such a heartwarming moment which I’ll get into a bit later!
As parents we often wonder if we’re doing a good job. Are we loving our children enough or correctly? Are we being active listeners? Are we providing good examples of healthy relationships? Are we preparing them for adulthood? The list is endless!
I became a mom at 20 and I was clueless. By 26, I had four children. I had four children in six years. Then to add to my cluelessness, I filed for divorce in 2005, leaving my then marriage with four kids under six. My youngest wasn’t six months old. I was told that I wouldn’t do a good job raising them as a single parent.
People thought I was crazy! People SAID I was crazy, hell, some days I felt crazy. I know, you’re thinking, what does this have to do with the photo, but I’m getting there. Raising my children, I tried me best to teach them to love one another. To support each other. To be kind, and some days I wasn’t sure that I was making a difference in their lives until capturing moments like the one I caught in this photo.
My middle son struggles with anxiety, and had expressed that his hair was making him depressed. As a person that has dealt with depression, I didn’t take his words lightly. I heard him say that his hair was the issue, so I said, let’s fix it!
My boys have a normal barber, but he had no desire to go. I offered the option of a barber shop, which he declined because he wasn’t comfortable with being in a crowded environment. He then mentioned his brother. My oldest son at this time was cutting his own hair. Now, how he’d do on his brother’s hair I wasn’t quite sure but…🤣. I said, “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, ask him” My oldest son was like, I got you.
Y’all, the level of emotion I felt from this one interaction was overwhelming. It may seem small or insignificant to some, but it was huge to me. The haircut that big bro gave little bro changed his energy completely! His smile was brighter. He walked more confidently.
Parents, if you’re wondering whether or not you’re doing a good job…you are!
Until next time…🦋