Don't Use Your Children As An Excuse

Thought for the day:

Why do some parents make their child(ren) an excuse for whatever reason?

This week I've had the chance to talk to many parents about success and sadly numerous times I kept getting EXCUSES that start with "My kids..." or "Since I've had kids, I've had to sacrifice...". First off you do not sacrifice anything for your kids. I never understood that statement. I don't care whether they were a planned pregnancy or not because at the end of the day you still chose to keep them.

Excuse my language and this may offend some people but I lack a great deal of empathy when it comes to this matter...

My parents and I are from Trinidad and it's always been my mothers dream to come to America and own a daycare. She left my dad and I to come to America to work so she can bring us to the States. During that process she went to nursing school, became an LPN and got her green card so she could file for my dad and I and then we came. We lived in NY, didn't have a car and had to walk everywhere. Mind you I'm an 18 month old. I can't wipe my own ass, change my clothes, help with chores, etc. I was a handful. Then we moved to Atlanta where she saved up enough money to start a daycare. It was in a small ass apartment. By this time my parents have a 6 year old daughter and a one year old and eventually my brother. My parents then saved up to get a bigger place and my dad flipped a part of the house and turned it into her dream in-home daycare. Never once, growing up, did my mom make an excuse that her 3 kids were holding her back from doing what she needed to do to make things happen. Never once did she say she had to sacrifice giving up her dream because of her kids. She could have made excuses or waited till I was older to come here. She could have complained about not having time. She could have complained that life was too hard, but because she didn't make excuses that's why she's in a place she always dreamed of. Now she's running a successful daycare that's licensed through the state.

Oh and my dad? He's living his dream too. He grew up landscaping and doing construction and all that crap and has been doing such job for 20+ years. Never sacrificed a damn thing.

So think about what you say before you get your kids involved because all I hear is "If I didn't have children then I could have...."