THAT'LL DO, JUST ENOUGH TO GET BY

The story is told of a youngster who grew up in a rural area of Louisiana. His father had a very crude philosophy about life; he believed in doing just enough to get by. The story has it that all the work on his farm was done in this manner. The man acquired a colloquial expression that he used when he thought enough had been done: he would always say, "That'll do." He never emphasized the importance of giving every job the very best that he could do, hence, the youngman grew up with this kind of attitude. As years rolled by and this young man was forced to leave home attend school and finally moved into a world all his own. He found it very difficult to deal with the outside world. He was unable to do his best at anything, because he did not know what his best was, simply from being brought up in an atmosphere where he never was required to give his best. The words of his father were still alive in his heart, he would always hear, "That'll do." It's a sad day in the lives of any parents when they fail to realize the tremendous responsibility that is theirs as they strive to rear their children, many cripple a child for life by denying him or her the priviledge of being brought up in a conducive, well-rounded, disciplined life as a child. This should be the goal of every parent. However, in this day and time, this is not the case. Some of these parents do not care or are simply clueless to the damage they are causing their children. For example, a few days ago; a 12 year old girl committed suicide, because her mother had this child doing her job. This 12 year old was responsible for cleaning the house, cooking and raising her 5 siblings while her mother was out partying or sleeping. This child should have never been subjected to bare the responsiblities of her mother. She needed her mother to take care of her. In this age of increased knowledge and understanding. That'll do is not good enough. Mrs Detiege, expresses that we live in an age that demands the best that anyone has to offer and if one is unable to excel, it means she or he must take a back seat and wait for whatever is left. They will have no choice because they have nothing to offer and will play an mediocre roll in this game of life. She stresses that in the black community the elite among blacks must not forget their sisters and brothers who are still prisoners of the old system. In all races we have those who share the mentality that they will do enough to just to get by because they feel it's not going to profit them to go above and beyond what is required. This is no longer acceptable; especially in the black community. Her concern for the black children is heightened due to the lack of guidance she is seeing displayed throughout her community. She has put parents on notice that they must rise up and begin to speak out, act and deliver on the kinds of issues that tend to hold them fast as blacks living in a society that demands more of them than they can give. Simply put, regardless of your background and circumstances, you have the key that will allow your children a better future or you are the one that will be responsible for locking their minds. Regardless of how hopeless you may feel, you have the power to shape the minds and lives of the future generation (your children). As a parent you must provide them with wisdom, knowledge and understanding. This will motivate them to rise beyond and above their current circumstances and seek a better way of life. Many parents simply believe their job is to provide nourishments and shelter and very little guidance to raise their children.

They do not encourgage their children to read other than homework. They do not share wisdom that is needed to navigate the harzardous turns in this life. They leave their children with very little choices and guidance. As a parent it is your job to make opportunities for your children to learn and not just rely on schools. Educate them before they ever step into a classroom. Poverty should not be an excuse for your child not to learn. Neither should it be yours. It has been long known that children of poorly educated parents, often do not reach the same intellectual levels or IQ as children of well educated parents. Infants who are rarely spoken to, who are exposed to view toys as with low income families, and who have very little opportunity to explore and experiment with their environment may fail to fully develop the neural connections and pathways that facilitate later learning. Research states the IQ scores a person gets in childhood are reasonably predictive of the scores he or she gets as an adult. Therefore, to the parents, especially disadvantaged mothers of infant children please do not feel hopeless. There are ways you can help develop your infant's IQ.

There are many Government Intervention Programs such as Early Steps that will come to your home and provide services for children from birth up to age 3 (36 mos.) which may have an medical condition that will likely result in developmental delays and they will help the family improve their capacity to help the child's development. They will also be able to direct you to more services and aid the children once they become of school age. There is no need for you to feel hopeless nor let your children slip through the cracks of a system that will not slow down while your children make do or just get by. There are many father's absent from the lives of these children and the mother's need to make extra efforts to provide for the well being of their children, so they in turn can be productive adults and pass on the wisdom, knowledge, understanding and more to their children. God Bless

©2011. PFP