Are You Raising One of the Next Generation of Hoodlums? Provide a spiritual Base

by Dr. Joyce Willard Teal

There are thousands of black men in the Criminal Justice System, and seemingly we forget that each man was once a precious, sweet and innocent baby, a handsome little mischievous boy; and for them to attain such infamous distinction means that numerous things have gone seriously awry in many of their lives.

The question I pose frequently to individuals who are in the process of rearing black boys is this: “Are you raising one of the next generation of hoodlums?”  And though it is asked repeatedly in this column, it is never asked lightly. And make no mistake about it: the next generation will have its share of hoodlums, but please, know that your son does not have to be numbered among them. Recall that hoodlums are made, not born. What takes place in your sons’ lives during the course of their growing up years will determine whether or not they emerge as hoodlums or upright citizens.

The experiences, exposures, the contacts and interactions to which your son is exposed between the ages of birth and twelve will determine, to a large degree, what he will become. This is why it is so important to make sure that he is involved in healthy pursuits and is being raised in a wholesome environment. These are things that must be important to a boy’s parents, and they must be important enough that they are given priority.

Just as you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and most people will readily agree and acknowledge that this is so, considerably fewer people seem to recognize and acknowledge that they won’t get a second chance to raise their sons in such a way that they internalize a strong spiritual base which will dictate, for the rest of their lives, the important decisions that they will make throughout their lives. There comes a point in our sons’ lives when they must make their own decisions, no matter how strongly we’d like to make them for our children. But we can’t! What we can do, however, is assure that they are privileged to a strong spiritual base so that the decisions they make pass through what I will term the God filter.

God is the source of all good things. Consequently, if you want your precious son to make good decisions, you must take him to Sunday School and church regularly, and while sending him is obviously better than allowing him not to get there at all, sending him does not transmit the message that it is important to you. Taking him will transmit this message, and ultimately, what is important to you becomes important to your child. And please, know that you must do it while he is receptive to the teachings. Between the ages of birth and eight or nine, he will be receptive. He will not resist the ideas and the values instilled in him during this time period in his life. PARENTS: give your son the gift of a strong spiritual base! You won’t regret doing so!

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