A little boy asked why his dad doesn't like him. His words broke my heart
One of our young men came back from a day with the boys and told me he had to step away, so the child would not see him cry.The child, an 11-year-old with a buzzed head and a gap-tooth smile, told the young man that he loves coming around us because we feel like his uncles.
Then the child got quiet.He said he gets sad sometimes because his dad never wants to talk to him or see him.
What made the young man tear up was that the child then said that he hopes his father is doing good."But why doesn’t my dad like me?"We all love this young boy and there is nothing not to like about him.
He is good to his mother.He tries hard at school.
He stands up to bullies and takes care of those around him.This boy is only 11.
He is asking for guidance.He is asking for adults to guide him.
If we don’t step up, the streets will take him.This is the hard work that we do every day.Far too many of us make the mistake of trying to save young men after they are broken.
We hold the press conference after the shooting, myself included, and we say we must do better.We demand funding for programs after the arrest and the boy is long gone into the slammer.
In the saddest cases, we write the obituary after the funeral and the family grieves over the senselessness.These tragedies happen because we often fail to build the boy before the streets define manhood for him.CHICAGO PASTOR GATHERS HUNDREDS OF MEN TO DECLARE VIOLENCE-FREE ZONE ON SOUTH SIDEBy manhood I don’t mean puffing your chest like you some bad dude.
That’s an empty front.Manhood means discipline, responsibility, accountability, faith, and all the qualities that allow one to stand strong on two feet. This boy is only eleven.
He is asking for guidance.He asking for adults to guide him.
If we don’t step up, the streets will take him.Every young boy learns from the men who stay and show how it is done.A young boy does not learn from a slogan, a speech, or empty promises.
The government can send a check, and it has ...