What’s the one dreaded word every parent fears from their child? That awful, time-consuming, sometime bratty question…WHY? Pick up your toys…why? Throw your plate in the sink…why? Don’t go outside in your underwear…why? The question is inevitable and although most people absolutely hate this and usually dismiss it with a simple “because I said so”, I prefer to actually answer my four-year-old son EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Am I setting myself up for teenage trouble? Maybe. But I want my children to understand that questioning why things are happening around them is important. I want them to know that at the heart of my commands is genuine interest and support for their wellbeing and I want them to listen to those commands because they understand and respect the need for acting on them. I want them to feel comfortable questioning authority because they will grow up as black men in America and I fear for what that means. I wish I could teach them to simply trust the police who are here to protect us but that’s not a choice I’ve been given as their mother in the year 2020 when George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others are murdered with little to no reasonable cause. Asking ourselves “Why?” is instrumental to our success as a country, and even more instrumental to our ability to succeed in business and in life. Without questioning the reasons we have for our actions, we cannot make positive change.I promise this is not a political post, it is just the musings of a tired mom hoping that her words will be heard by someone, anyone who has the answer to the question…Why? Why is this happening? Why are we still forced into conversations about racial equity, social justice, and human rights? Why can’t we all just get along. So I allow my children to ask why. And I answer every time because knowing our “why” is the only way out of this mess. Getting to the heart of the matter is the only way out of this mess. And I pray every day that my children won’t have to deal with this mess when they get older. I started this blog with every intention of sharing my ideas on why business owners need to develop and understand their “why” but the words flowed, and it feels appropriate to leave this one here for all you mommas who are tired of answering “why” all day long.
There are a whole lot of tired people in our country asking “why” and waiting for answers. Let’s make sure our children are raised knowing what to say.
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