Kick Butt Take Names Since today is Memorial Day, I thought I might share a longstanding family fighting expression. The saying is Kick Butt Take Names – an idiom coined by Naeem’s Godfather, Uncle Willie. Because I’m always honest with you, I’ll let you in on a little secret about the word “Butt.” “Butt” is the G-rated word I’ve chosen to use ... [Continue Reading]
Marie Ursery: A Model For Living Your Who
Marie Ursery: A Model For Living Your Who This weekend family and friends celebrated the life of my aunt, Marie Ursery. As is the case with any memorial service the time spent remembering a person who passed is bittersweet. This Mother’s Day weekend was exceptionally melancholy as it was one year ago when my father passed. I realize that ... [Continue Reading]
Are You Raising A Cheater Or A Fighter?
Student using a cheat sheet for his test I have a question for you to ponder. Are you raising a cheater or a fighter? I’m not asking if your child cheats on tests or video games, I’m wondering if you have any idea whether or not your behavior has inspired your children to cheat on life. I’ve been observing our children for quite a while, and ... [Continue Reading]
An Extraordinary Imagination Made Him Run Before He Walked
A month or so before Naeem’s first birthday, I was feeling a bit like a lousy parent. My son hadn’t learned to walk. Sure, like most toddlers Naeem could take a few steps on his own, but he couldn’t take many. Each attempt to walk began with him standing up confidently and taking a few short steps, but before you could blink your eyes, he would ... [Continue Reading]
Yours, Mine & Our Children
Yours, Mine, & Our Children Anyone who has been following this blog knows that my primary motivation for everything I believe and do around parental empowerment and student success originates from the love I have for my son. Naeem means more to me than I will ever be able to explain. He is everything to me. SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL As I ... [Continue Reading]
WHAT’S THE SECRET SAUCE?
If you want to know about preparing hamburgers, I will encourage you to contact McDonald’s. Mickey D's can hook you up with a Big Mac, a burger known for its secret sauce. However, if you want to know how to help your child get into the school of their dreams, find the university with the best fit that keeps you both out of debt, I’m here to tell ... [Continue Reading]
A Passport To The Future
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Most people know the quote from Malcolm X “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” However, the rare first part of the quote is no less profound. The full quote is "Education is ... [Continue Reading]
Help With A Kid To Get To Yale?
Yale University Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays! I hope you had a great 2018 and you are preparing to have an extraordinary 2019. Speaking of ending 2018 and planning for 2019, during the Holiday break I received an email titled “Help With A Kid to Get to Yale?” When I first saw the title of the email, I assumed it was a request for ... [Continue Reading]
You Aren’t Special; Everybody Is Busy
Being a father has taught me a lot of things. One of those things is to avoid using the phrase “I’m busy” or any similar expression that includes the word “busy.” The truth about the word busy and its application in our lives is that 99% of the time none of us – not you, not me, not one of us – is that busy. To put it mildly, the word busy is ... [Continue Reading]
Three Tips to Be College and Career Ready
A short while ago, I met a young man whom I’ll merely refer to as the Vegan Paleontologist. Sitting across from my table having dinner with his grandmother and aunt was a precocious eighth-grader. As I routinely do, sometimes to the frustration and utter exhaustion of my family, I initiated a conversation with the Vegan Paleontologist. I try ... [Continue Reading]
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