One of my pet causes is Mentoring. I think it’s one of the most effective and efficient ways to change the world. Perhaps not everyone is motivated to change the world. But, I am. That’s one of my motivating forces. I want no less.
But, it’s a big goal so I have to choose smaller, more tangible things with more instant gratification - little wins – to keep me motivated. Mentoring is one of those things. Something achievable.
By investing one hour a week in a my assigned kid I can influence her world. That makes me feel powerful and effective.
For example, last year my protege …read more

I heard today, on Oprah, that millions of kids have parents that spend only about 12 minutes face-time with them.
It sounds shockingly low, especially since I am a work-from-home mom and I treasure 12 minutes away from kids in my face (I’m exaggerating, my children are wonderful people and I choose this life). But, if you’re a single-parent with a full-time job and the kids go to bed by 7:30 p.m. it’s not hard to imagine that kids might only score 12 minutes of face-to-face talking a day.
One of my pet-peeves is complaining with no action. Not that I never do …read more

Tonight is our big mentoring banquet. I’m a mentor to one 14-year-old girl, but we meet as a group of four girls and four adults. At the end of the year we get dressed up, well as dressed up as the girls want to get, and going to a three-course meal with entertainment. It’s pretty exciting and we’ve been looking forward to it all year. Teachers at the school do a fundraiser to donate $50 to buy the girls a special outfit for the event.
This year, me and my mentee will be sitting at our group’s table alone. By some weird twist of fate …read more

I worry about the girls growing up today. Don’t you? I see celebrities getting thinner and thinner and the girls on the stripper pole in videos on BET and I worry about the teens and pre-teens who are forming their ideas of femininity with these images.
I worry about girls getting STDs from experimenting with love and sex. I worry about girls becoming prey to fast talking older men who are really just sexual predators. I worry about eating disorders, low self esteem and poor body image.
I sometimes get a sick hopeless feeling in my stomach when I read things …read more