A friend doesn't ask another friend who is in business for the "hook-up"

Being a new author/publisher has given me a new outlook on business and personal matters. For starters, I rapidly discovered that the two are completely separate entities, and that anyone hoping to make it in the business world, had better learn this quickly.

In many introductory business courses, you learn about entrepreneurship and that by definition means assuming the risk and responsibility of starting a business. You put your blood sweat and tears into a project. This requires financial sacrifice and the ability to endure opposition and many obstacles in the hopes of gaining a return on your investment and becoming successful in the endeavor. Few people start a business without this objective in mind, otherwise it would be considered a hobby.

The worst part about being a new author is not the lack of name recognition in this huge industry, or the limited marketing budget. The most detrimental effect on my new business, are the people seeking “the hook up” in the form of a free copy of my book. It started out seemingly harmless, but once several people have done it, my already slim profit margin gets further setback by hundreds of dollars.

I am not alone, many small business owners find themselves in this situation. Those seeking the hook up consist of family, friends and many of people you have encountered on your journey that feel that you owe them one. They are not always selfish or malicious in their intent. Some are truly happy for you, excited for you and anxious to get their hands on your product. They care about you, but don’t understand how businesses operate and that it costs money to create a product, and even more when you give them away.

It is difficult to look in the eyes of someone that you played with in the sandbox and tell them that, although they feel you should “hook them up” they really need to pay you for your product or service. This makes it very evident why many successful people have “handlers” They handle all the people that are looking to be “hooked up.” This avoids an awkward conversation when you have to tell people “no.”

I have been guilty of getting hooked up in the past myself. Because of my recent experiences, I am going to be careful with this going forward. It is understandable to want a good deal, but to outright expect a freebie or even discount from a small business owner is not always appropriate. We have to move past this sense of entitlement that because we are a friend or relative of a person with a business that we deserve a hook up. We mean well, but we have it backwards.

This person has not only sacrificed to start this business, but may very well be dependent on sales. So when we do not pay in a sense we are saying, “You hooking me up is more important than me supporting you.”

It is safe to say that we pay for things  we want or that we deem worthy of our dollar, so each time we ask for a hookup, in a sense we are saying, “I don’t believe this is worth paying for.”

Lastly, nothing in life is free, especially not a tangible product. Someone is paying for it, so when we ask for a free product or service, in a sense we are saying, “You should pay me to use your product or services.”

We all are trying to save money, but let’s not do it to the detriment of others. The past few years, in this harsh economy we have seen major corporations buckle. Now is the time to actually support small business owners, we should “hook them up” for a change.

If one was to travel to their nearest state prison, welfare office, teen pregnancy center, and unemployment office they would notice that the majority of the “clientele” had one thing in common and that is the fact that they dropped out of high school. In fact in the State of Pennsylvania, 70% of inmates do not have a high school diploma. The issue of high school dropouts and the negative outcomes associated with dropping out of high school should be an issue that is discussed on a national basis and should be considered a national crisis.

Statistics indicate that all male learning enviorments may be best for children

According to the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, only 55% of African Americans students and 53% of Hispanic students will graduate from high school. Young men are less likely to graduate than their female counterparts. Nationally, 59 percent of African-American females graduates compared to 48 percent of African-American males. Fifty eight percent of Hispanic females will earn a high school diploma while only 49% of Hispanic males will.

In addition to the dismal graduation rates for minority students, each of the nation’s ten largest public high school districts, which enroll more than 8 percent of the nation’s public school student population, failed to graduate more than 60 percent of its students. For example, only 20% of students in Detroit will graduate high school on time while 75% in Baltimore, 60% in New York and 55% of students in Philadelphia will dropout out of high school.

The issues around high school graduation, race and income is not a new topic and can seem overbearing and unsolvable. However, the solutions are out there to be found and duplicated. Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tennessee recently won the “Race to the Top Commencement Challenge” an initiative of the Obama administration to highlight schools that are turning failure into success.  In a statement, President Obama said, “Booker T. Washington High School proves what can be accomplished when students, teachers, parents and administrators come together to support achievement in the classroom”. President Obama gave the commencement address at Booker T. Washington on May 16^th of this year.

Booker T. Washington is not a school one will see on TV shows like Beverly Hills 90210, it is a school that is located in the poorest neighborhood in Memphis. It has a student body that is 100% African American with 98% of students eligible for free or reduced priced lunch. A large number of children at Booker T. Washington are teen parents and unfortunately, the school has high rates of HIV/AIDS and a history as one of the most violent schools in Memphis. In 2007, the school had a graduation rate of only 55% and according to the Superintendent of the Memphis School District, the school had, “a culture of failure”.

The culture of failure at Booker T. Washington begin to change three years ago when the school put in placed several reforms that have been proven to work. All freshmen are assigned to gender based classes. Research shows that gender based classes or “academies” have been demonstrated to increase grades, reduce violence and increase interest in schools. Research has also demonstrated that teacher quality directly correlates to educational success. Accordingly, Booker T. Washington assigns their best teachers to core subjects such as English, mathematics and science.

Students enrolled in affluent school districts are prepared for college due to the fact that their curriculum is designed to prepare them for college. Very few students in poor urban school districts are afforded the opportunity to take college preparation courses and accordingly do not attend college. Due to the reforms put in place at Booker T. Washington, college preparation courses (known as Advance placement courses) are available for any student who is interested in taking them.

Due to the success of its reforms, the graduation rate at Booker T. Washington increased from 55% to 82% in four years. The school now has the lowest number of violent incidents and the highest attendance of all of Memphis high schools.

In addition to the national recognition Booker T. Washington has earned as the winner of the “Race to the Top”, the school is an example of what can work in urban education if only we will stop and listen.

I recently watched this video entitled “Baby Mamas Anonymous,” and like with most YouTube rants, experienced the shock value that was intended. Let me start by saying that I respect this young woman, and her opinion. I believe her approach was well-crafted and creative, but she is the perfect example of someone having great intentions, but giving bogus advice.

I get it, the latest craze is Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, change yourself completely so that you can get a man, don’t be yourself or you won’t get a man…and finally you have to be absolutely perfect if you are a single mother, or you can’t get a man. Relationship advice is to be taken as just that advice. But always consider the source. Every woman raising a child, without the help of their father, cannot be confused as a single mother. A real single mother makes her children a priority, and doesn’t have time to even consider going through a boot camp or a program, so to speak, to meet a man. While the right man is welcomed, a single mother’s focus is her children.

She had some clever points, and I am not going to dissect the founding principles of the Baby Mamas Anonymous, you can view the video yourself. I will say that while neither of us are able to speak for “most” men, I can attest that most of the accomplished single men that I know, have no qualms about dating women with children, and rightfully so. Every single mother isn’t raising Bebe’s kids. Children are innocent and love unconditionally. Many men were raised by single mothers themselves and take pride in having an opportunity to positively influence a child regardless of their DNA. A single mother shouldn’t have to work hard to perfect herself to attract a man. She should work double time not to fall for the wiles of the kind of man that doesn’t share this outlook.

As a single mother, I am too busy loving and providing a life for my children to have ever considered them a set back, added baggage or a product of a bad judgment call. In fact, it has been just the opposite. I have been too busy working hard and making my children a priority to realize that my stock has dropped or that my personal net worth has gone down, according to this video.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again there isn’t a woman on earth that isn’t one tragedy or clever mistress away from being a single mother. The champions are the ones that, despite the challenges, take care of their responsibilities day in and day out. To a worthy man, this isn’t something to fear or shy away from. Being a good and responsible single mother is a badge of honor, one you can’t earn if you are constantly thinking about getting a man. This mindset can be detrimental to young children. The strong desire to have a man can cause a woman to settle for just any man, whether he is good for her children or not. Children are only young for a short period of time, so it is only right to keep them first. For this reason, I have a one-step program that can be validated by any single-mom turned wife. Be the best you, focus on your children and the right man will find you. It is as simple as that.

The dating game can be work for both women and men but when you add extra baggage shouldn’t a person be able to choose if he or she wants to deal with it.

An interesting topic came up on a social networking site. A woman said she was talking to guy that said he doesn’t date women with kids. Of course, there was an uproar and comments were flying.

“I would have cut him…a new asshole,” one participant wrote. Another said, “But his first flaw is he don’t do women with kids!”

So, because he doesn’t date women with kids that’s a mistake and he is an ass? I’m not taking sides on this issue for I have dated women with kids and I have not experienced any issues, where I would say never again. But there are some guys out of their own principle that will refuse to date a woman with children.

Top reasons why men may say “NO” to women with kids.

• Baby daddy issues: Last thing a guy wants to hear from his significant other is the argument that she had between the baby’s  father regarding anything from when the child is being picked up to that court date for child support. Then the guy feels he is in the middle of a war that he has no control of unless he leaves.
• Kids are bad: People do not like bad children. Especially someone else’s that you cannot discipline. You see your girlfriend’s kid doing something that they should not be doing, the girlfriend is occupied doing something else so the child continues to do what they should not be doing. You’re not the father, you can’t tell the child no, it’s not your place, however they are in your line of sight, so you act like a kid and tell your girlfriend that Jr. is playing with a cord. You may have to tell her five times before she checks the issue.
• You’re not his father: Boyfriend takes girlfriends child to baseball games, the park, teaches him how to play baseball, shoot a hoop or helps with a school project….but when the child does something wrong mom steps in and tells the boyfriend, “You’re not his dad.” I had this conversation with a friend regarding this. The boy’s father was incarcerated so the boyfriend assumed the role of the father, he treated the child like his own, but the child got in trouble at school one day and the fill-in father wanted to discipline the child (take away cell phone, computer, TV, etc) the mother flat out told him that he had no right and that he is not the father.  So fill-in dad is good enough to teach the child how to shoot free throws but not punish the child for inappropriate behavior?
• Do you remember what Ving Rhames said to Tyrese in the John Singleton movie Baby Boy? “You know what your problem is, baby boy?” said Rhames’ character Melvin to Tyrese’s character Jody. “You got shit all twisted. You got an Oedipus complex. You want your mamma to be your woman, but this is my woman.”  To make things simple, Jody had a complex and took on an attitude that no man could have his mother but him. Too many times a child (with the help of the mother) plays the role of that he doesn’t want a man near his mom and will disrespect that man. That goes with the constant excuses that women give for their children’s disrespect. The old, “Oh, he has to warm up to you.” Or the, “He’s just being protective.” Times have changed. When you were younger and if your mother mom had a date or if a gentleman caller came to the house you treated that elder with respect and go on about your business. Nowadays kids run the household and dictate who can visit their mothers.

 So with that being said, before you judge a man who doesn’t date a woman with kids I guarantee you one of these bullet points will be the reason.

While you may not be in school anymore, you can 'graduate' through different phases of your life.

In addition to writing, I work as an academic adviser for a university.

Recently, we held our annual commencement ceremony. I never knew that a day of work would have such a profound effect on my life, but it did. As I stared across the stadium and saw the thousands of people gathered to take part in the ceremony or offer support, I had a moment of clarity.

I had been in conflict with someone I was involved with. The strained communication at the time made it unmistakable that the relationship was on its last leg. Despite my fondness of him, since we weren’t on the same page, it was time to move on, though every fiber of my being didn’t want to. The thought of starting over without someone I had come to care so much for was not ideal for me, though he seemed indifferent to whether I stayed or left. Being in a room filled with singles and couples from various walks of life reminded me of how large the world is. I then realized that no one man should have that much power. (Yes, Kanye West is playing in my head as I type this.) The world is huge, and lucky for me, all I need is one man.

Being at the ceremony was symbolic for me because I could relate to the graduates. Instead of looking at the end of a relationship as a bad thing, I was able to look at it as a graduation. Those that have successfully completed high school, college or any other program can attest that graduation is an exciting time. It is also a nerve-wracking one. On one hand you are excited about the accomplishment and the new found freedom that awaits you. On the other hand many people are afraid of the unknown, so it is normal to want to stay within the confines of the high school or college walls instead of charging head on into the tough world of working, bills and various responsibilities.

As anticipated, the relationship ended. I vowed to myself that I would move on gracefully. The last thing that the world needs is another bitter person. I am happy to have the experience and the lessons learned from that situation will have me better prepared for the man I am intended for.

As much as we all miss our high school/college days which are filled with memories, we can all admit that as sad as it was to close a chapter of our lives, graduation was just the beginning of a new and better one. Just as no one aims to be a career-student, it is just as unrewarding to stay in a situation that is simply not meant to be. Even when it hurts, we should all graduate with dignity and honor. Congratulations to all of the recent graduates of the school of life!

Signed,

Tamieka Briscoe

Graduating class of 2011, School of Life, Magna Cum Laude

Many of you know Tamieka Briscoe as one of our bloggers who often opines about her life as a single woman balancing her career, children and love life . However, its her writings outside of PULL Magazine that is causing a buzz.

PULL Blogger Tamieka Briscoe is now a published fiction author

Briscoe, 30, will debut her first novel, “Like a Moth to a Flame,” during a public book signing event/ party  in suburban Washington D.C. on Saturday.

“Moth” is a story centered around a Tiara Banks, a sexy and street smart 18-year-old who is caught up in a love triangle with the captain of her high school football team and a young teacher who just graduated from college.

With less than 24-hours remaining from her novel debut, Briscoe sat down with the senior staff of PULL Magazine to discuss her book and how she has grown as a writer and businesswoman.

PULL: Thanks for talking to us, we realize your schedule is tight.  My first question is why did you write this book and what do you expect your audience to gain from reading it?

TB: I wrote this book because it has been a dream of mine to become a published author. Writing is a passion for me, and has been for as long as I can remember. I wrote ”Like a Moth to a Flame” specifically, because I often joke that my life could be a Lifetime movie one day. I say this because some of my experiences seem like scenes from a made-for-t.v. film. I wanted a creative and entertaining way to take some actual events and combine it with creative fiction to showcase my talent as a writer. I believe my readers be thoroughly entertained and intrigued from cover-to-cover. Though it is an urban fiction novel, all readers will be able to relate. We have all been teenagers in love, or at least what we thought was love.

PULL: The premise of the book is obviously a controversial subject: An 18yr old student in a love triangle with the school’s star athlete and a 20- something teacher.  So tell us, Ms. Briscoe, is “Moth” fiction or reality for you?

TB: Good question, I guess the initials give it away. The great thing about fiction, is that it provides an escape from reality. When you are curled up engrossed in a good book, you become the characters, and the characters become you. So, in that sense, I could say that “Moth” is a reality for me. I wouldn’t mind being a Tiara Banks.

PULL: Interesting response, we’ll leave it to our readers to interpret your answer.  So, we’ll move on. As a first time author, what are some of the obstacles you faced and how did you overcome them?

TB: The obstacles were many. The first was finding the time and discipline to commit to writing the book and doing what was necessary to complete the project. Others were staying motivated, funding the project, and finding ways to market myself so that people would even care that I wrote a book in the first place. I have been blessed with a circle of very supportive people. All it took was mentioning that I wrote a book, and my friends and family jumped aboard and put me in touch with reputable people that could assist me in my efforts. My biggest challenge was fighting through personal issues that took place during my journey of creating this project. I found myself putting it to the side and coming back to it. As much as I regret putting it to the side, I am glad I actually ”got back to it”. Through it all, my obstacles became opportunities. As they say hindsight is 20/20, so now that I have overcome those challenges, I am better prepared as an author/publisher for future projects.

PULL: How have you grown as a writer and a businesswoman during this process of writing and promoting your book?

TB: I have grown immensely. I am certainly networking more. Since I went the self-publishing route, it forces me to become a businesswoman. Where as the writing comes naturally, and was something I once did for fun, it is nice to see it manifest into a successful business. I am growing in this profession, and my mind is going a mile per minute. I am creating new stories, while coming up with marketing ideas. It is really great!

PULL:  What’s your next move?  Are you planning a sequel?

TB: You can absolutely expect a sequel. I am already in the lab so to speak. “Tiara” has many stories to tell. “Like a Moth to a Flame” is truly just the beginning.

To learn more about “Like a Moth to a Flame,” or to order a copy of the book,  visit http://tamiekabriscoe.com

#TeamPULL needs your support as we attempt to win the BEST Group Blog category for the 2011 Black Weblogs Awards. All you have to do is click here and submit our link http://blogs.pullmag.com for the following categories.

Best New Blog
Best Group Blog
Blog to Watch

Votes are being taken from now until May 7th! We THANK YOU for your continued support!

When I was sent this video a week ago, I had no idea what it entailed, had I known, I would have viewed it much sooner. Nevertheless, I finally got a free moment to watch it. In doing so, I paid no mind to the caption, or even the title of the video. I was greeted with a still frame of a beautiful young face. The appearance of her permanent teeth in proportion to her size, caused me to estimate that she is approximately ten years old. Her mouth was wide open, causing me to believe that she would be belting out a harmonious version of one of Whitney Houston’s hit songs. “The Greatest Love of All” was playing in my head, well before I pressed play. Okay, perhaps I am being slightly melodramatic, I assumed that more than likely it was a video of the little girl doing her own cute version of Willow Smith’s, “I Whip My Head Back and Forth.”

I was both caught off guard and appalled at the images that met me.

As I watched this video, and saw little girls one-by-one yell obscenities into the camera, to include personal contact information for Myspace, like many others that will watch this; my mind swarmed with thoughts of judgment. “If that was my child, I would do this…” “Their mothers must be that…”

Yes, I thought of the mothers because, when it comes to a young girl, the mother (or mother-figure) is, and should be the most influential person in the girl’s life.

I wondered in five short years how many of these children will be teen mothers.

I wondered if any of them have already been exposed to sexual encounters be it with an adult, or even boys their age.

Not even a year ago, I gave birth to my very own daughter. Holding her in my arms, I marveled at her beauty and innocence. Familiar feelings of joy appeared, much like when I experienced the miracle of life for the first time, and held my son in my arms. The best part of having children is that in my opinion, they are a clean canvas, and we paint them to be the finished masterpiece.

Too many times, when a woman is pregnant, she eagerly hopes and prays that it is a girl. They after all are easier to shop for and have cuter outfits available. The idea of having a baby girl is a lot more idealized, than the reality of raising a young woman. Once the pink booties and lovely lavender ribbons are packed away, there is a real job to be done.

This generation faces issues that even we parents didn’t have to contend with. It is imperative that we raise our women to be strong and independent. This is not optional, regardless of our own social standing; we have to create opportunities for tomorrow’s women.

Interesting enough, the title of the video is Black Girls: The Cycle Continues.

As we do not know the backgrounds of the children in this video, or that of their parents, the intention of this blog is not to speak ill of them, it is to raise awareness to a problem plaguing our community. The question at hand is how does a person that has not been on this earth much longer than a decade; learn such violence, cursing and lewd behavior?

The answer is through there home environment, and other surroundings. Our children are growing up too fast, instead of their innocence being preserved, because the line between parenting and BFF has been blurred. We single mothers are so lonely, that we allow our children to hang out with us, doing age-inappropriate activity, such as watching music videos and movies that are well above their maturity level. I know nowadays it seems like when all else fails, blame it on hip hop music, but we can’t deny the connection. It is filled with violence, lust, corruption, bullying…you name it.

The good news is that we can fight this, and win. Some mothers don’t know any better. Every positive, mature woman should make it her business to get involved in the life of a young woman as a mentor. How do we break this cycle? A little nurturing could go a long way. The right mentor, could use each girl’s strengths to mold them into productive members of society.

The Millionaire Girls of the video, actually have a sound business model, complete with a president and supervisor, along with the various roles each of the members played. Why not mold them to be real entrepreneurs?

The young ladies encouraged their rivals to get their weight up, and boasted on how they were getting money. (Hip Hop terms). Why not nurture them to learn about financial planning, and groom them to be investors or stockbrokers?

A young lady mentioned that her wardrobe consists of RocaWear® and frowned upon the brand Aéropostale®. With her interest in fashion why not model her to become a fashion consultant or designer?

They all seemed to be confident in their fighting abilities, why not condition them to become a professional boxer or trainer?

The young ladies in the video had the ability to curse with conviction and used the profanity in the proper context, which is a learned behavior. Since they have such passion; why not mold them to become court justices and powerful attorneys?

From the way they addressed the mean girls, the young ladies fearlessly stood up for one another. Why not build on their innate desire to protect one another and raise them to be tomorrow’s human rights leaders?

In conclusion, if we don’t teach our daughters to rise above even our social standing, we are raising generations of women that will disgrace our ancestors that fought so hard. Why did Harriet Tubman lead the Underground Railroad, is this the fate intended to lead us to? Is this Sojourner’s Truth?

Find out the truth.

Think of how many people have been wrongfully convicted of a crime they didn’t commit, only for it be overturned years later by DNA evidence. There was always some doubt, but there wasn’t anything available for them to show their innocence. Now think about all the men who may have raised the Milkman’s or the Mailman’s baby and couldn’t prove it. Now with DNA testing, there never has to be that doubt again.

Back in the day, when men found out that their girlfriend or spouse was pregnant, most of the time he had to accept the fact that the kid was his and he had to take care of it. Sometimes there was that seed of doubt in him, but he couldn’t prove anything. People told him the baby “looked just like him”, but he didn’t buy it. Years later after he has taken care and raised the child, he found out that is wasn’t his. This scenario even happens today, but it doesn’t have to. There is DNA testing now so I’d advise any man, single or married, to get a DNA test for all of their children no matter how sure you are.

Women, this is NOT a trust issue. It not even about how you feel. If you get upset that a man wants to be responsible and sure, then you need to look in the mirror at yourself. It is about protection from years of issues and heartbreak. Especially, if there has been a history of infidelity on either side. A man should have the right to know if the child is his or not.

Most people will tell a man that after all those years, even though he wasn’t the father, that he should stay in the child’s life because he is the only father the kid has known. While that is noble, it is bull. Whatever decision he makes, whether he decides to stay or go, should be fine for everyone. He is not obligated to stay no matter how old the child is, and he isn’t less of a man if he decides not to. He should have had the right to make a decision in the beginning, and since he wasn’t given full disclosure,  the DNA test will afford him that opportunity.

Men, don’t be scared to ask either. She can get mad, scream, even as the question,  “why you don’t trust me.” Don’t cave in to the emotion. You must look out for self, even if it puts your relationship in jeopardy. You can’t get child support back and you don’t have to “suck it up” either. You’ll be glad knowing the truth sooner instead of years and thousands of dollars later.

About a week ago, I scrolled down the Facebook newsfeed and became inspired. It hit me out of nowhere, and before I knew it, I was updating my status.

“Oh I get it, Chuck E. Cheese’s is where a kid can be a kid…So Facebook is where a poor excuse of a parent can pretend to be a good one.” I usually try to stay away from these kinds of updates to prevent any assumption that I am referring to my personal life. But I instead opted to express my thoughts and apply the “If the shoe fits…” philosophy.

I’ve made it no secret in the past, that I have a long list of pet peeves in relation to the social networking arena. But topping the list is any inactive (deadbeat) parent frolicking around on Facebook, while attempting to blend in with the rest of us. There is nothing worse than an absent parent using Facebook to pretend that they are family-oriented. Those that have thousands of people in their social network believing that they are an ideal parent, when those closest to them, namely the person they share the parental responsibility with, can attest otherwise.

As nice as it would be to ban all deadbeat parents from Facebook, we all need a release, so some social networking is okay. It is the absurd amount of time spent online and the posts consisting of fictitious family-related activities that are troublesome. As much effort you place into keeping appearances, would it hurt to actually try being a better parent?

Nevertheless, since you insist on putting on this facade, if you are going to do it…you might as well do it right. If you are being “nagged” about not being an active parent, here are two excuses that you need to eliminate from your roster, if you are a frequent social networking individual. This will save you from an argument, you can’t win.

# 1 – I am only one person, with a lot on my plate. I don’t have time to visit my children as often as I would like. Facebook leaves timestamps. You do not have enough time to spend with your children or even call on a daily basis, but you are somehow available to log into Facebook daily, often several times a day. You are unreliable and virtually worthless as it relates to anything your child may need. In fact nothing is guaranteed from you, except that you are definitely going to be on Facebook before the day is out. No sense in denying it. Your electronic footprint has tracks all over Facebook, via status updates, photo comments, wall posts, etc. It is even marked that at some point today, you “liked” a celebrity fan page. But you’re right, you’re busy and why should your children interfere with your online indulgence? You would definitely be a better parent if Facebook was your child. At least if FB was your child, they’d get to see you everyday. If no one else, your Mafia Wars family thinks you’re great!

#2 – I am barely surviving myself. I don’t have any money to help out with my children. Silly me, I always forget. If you are not the custodial parent, spending time and money is optional! I’m no financial advisor, but between the laptop, PC or Smartphone; along with the wired/wireless internet connection you pay for monthly, it is safe to say that you have at least some disposable income. (Or someone that doesn’t mind supporting you, so what would it trouble them to give you a little more money for your children?) They also say that time is money, so with the hours you spend online, you could probably work overtime or even take on a second job to help with your child. If you are not financially contributing to your children’s care; in the very least, do not update your status bragging about clothes you bought yourself, restaurants you frequent, and by all means don’t RSVP to public Facebook events where the admission fee is posted. You have $700 for a trip to Cancun, but are nowhere to be found when your children’s tuition payments are due. I’m sorry, but last I checked the child care providers aren’t accepting Facebook Family Feud or Wheel of Fortune money. Though you’ve racked up quite an impressive amount of points, they aren’t worth anything in the grand scheme of things.

In conclusion, we have to do better. Life is not a game, and there are few do-overs. Please consider that children are only small for a short period of time. They grow up fast and before you know it, you have missed out. You have left a void in their lives that may never be filled. With this in mind, the choice is yours. Are you going to log in to your computer to mess around online, or are you going to spend time with your children?