Treat Yo Mama With Respect.
Wednesday, April 5th, 2006When I was growing up, my dad and I spent a lot of time angry with each other. Not because he was a bad father, I have the best parents anyone can wish for, but because I was a kid. And dumb.
My dad was a Journeyman Machine Repairman for Ford Motor Company. He fixed the custom machinery on the lines. He brought these skills home. When something around the house needed fixing, he was right there to tear it apart and make it work again. Being his only son, I was always hijacked into helping.
This usually resulted in an argument. He would think the problem through, analyze the symptoms, asses the solution, and carefully replace the parts that needed to be replaced. I, being a kid, wanted to buy a new one so I could get back to terrorizing the neighborhood.
Toward the end of my career as a child, at around 22, I started to respect and understand what he was trying to teach me. Never rush through a problem. Take your time. There is a certain honor in doing things well, and it is to be respected.
That is one of the many things my dad taught me. It has treated me well in my life, given me the career I have today. What lessons do I want to teach Emma? What lessons are worth teaching even when she is pissed, and just wants to go IM her friends?
I thought of one instantly. I want her to know how a man should treat a woman. I want her to know that a man is to speak to a woman with respect, and I want her to see that in the way I speak to her mother. I want her to know that a man should stand up for her even if it’s her own kid being disrespectful. I want her to know that it isn’t okay to be disrespectful to her mother.
Hopefully, she will remember that when she is finding someone to spend her life with - someone who will treat her with respect.