Are You Raising One of the Next Generation of Hoodlums: Even More Reason

The New York grand jury’s recent failure to indict any officer for the killing of Eric Garner is yet more evidence that the lives of African Americans are not valued by too many of our fellow citizens nationwide. In my opinion, this situation gives us even more reason to assure that our sons respect themselves and understand clearly that being disrespected by others is no reason why they should disrespect themselves.

When our sons are taught from a very young age the importance of self respect and recognize that their parents have the expectation that they will always respect themselves and will also respect authority figures in their lives, they are a lot less likely to involve themselves in situations and circumstances where their well-being is threatened, maybe even their very lives.

In the past decade, we have witnessed the rise of vigilante empowerment in the form of stand-your-ground and open carry laws, and we have seen ample evidence that the implementation of these policies work for the majority population at the expense of African American lives. In my opinion, these injustices give us even more reason to  teach our sons early in their lives the importance of adhering to the principles we instill in them and assuring that our adolescent boys know that they place themselves at great risk when they fail to do so.

The advent of widespread video recording devices has made it clear that black people die at the hands of police with a frightening regularity that suggests we as a community are confronted with a police power supported by an indifferent majority. But we can teach our sons that each of them can become a majority of one.

Let’s teach them not to depend on numbers or on the approval of others in order to gain legitimacy, but to accept that they are legitimate in their own right. Help your son to learn not to seek to sway others to his own point of view in order to gain momentum for holding his own. Rather, his voice must be based on the firm foundation of spiritual integrity that you have instilled.

Just as nobody desires to be in the process of raising one of the next generation of hoodlums, nobody desires to see his or her son shot down in the street like a stray dog. Nobody desires to watch as his or her son is unjustly treated. But failing to teach appropriately is equivalent to deliberately raising one of the next generation of hoodlums. Failure to teach your adolescent son to distance himself from situations and circumstances that can entangle him with a justice system that might offer him no justice is comparable to treating your own son unjustly. Yes, it takes a lot of teaching and reinforcement, but you get to make the choice. WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE?

Special note: Readers are invited to tune in to Dr. Teal’s internet radio talk show. The link is www.kebnradio.com. 10 a.m. Saturday mornings CST.  You’re also invited to visit www.untealthen.com