Greetings editorial note readers!  Welcome to issue 15.07! This week we bring you someone whose thinking we have come to admire very much. Her earlier editor’s not was a knockout, and this one is even better! She is our dear friend and colleague, Monica Carlos. We only hope that you Beat writers pay close attention to her words. They are profound.

What is good with the world? What is good with everyone? 

Today I sit and look out the window and I see the sun and think of my beautiful son Omar. I brought him into this world two years one month and nine days ago. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me, yet this morning my mom told me I wasn’t ready to be a mom because of the choices I have made in my life. I was angry to hear this, but at the same time she is right, to an extent, that she voices her unwanted opinion, even though she isn't entirely right and could’ve told me something different instead of using those words. What she meant is I let my personal issues affect my parenting.

Sometimes in all of our lives, we are selfish and tend to forget everything around us, whatever the reason is. But as parents, we have a duty to provide for our child(ren), no matter what is wrong with our lives.

My son didn’t ask to be brought into this world. My problems shouldn’t be his problems. Just because mommy isn’t haven’t a good day, doesn’t mean little Omar or little Jessica should suffer.

Young kids should only know happiness, fun, eating food, sleeping and THAT’S IT! The rest is on the grown-ups.

If you have a child, it is your right to be there for them in every moment that they need you. The little things count — reading them books, sitting down sharing a meal with them — those kind of things matter most.

We all know there are so many unwanted pregnancies in this world and so many people ready not to be parents.

With that said, it’s time for us as adults, as human beings, to take charge and give our children love and nothing more. Children are so innocent and precious and bring so much joy.

If you have a child, be a parent. It was your choice to have them. Don’t take your anger out on your kids, either, because they don’t have a clue what grown-ups face. 

If you don’t like being a parent, stop having kids… and people wonder why the world is the way it is.

Today’s children are all of our futures, so give them unconditional love and security. That’s all they really need. 

I Love my son, Omar. He will always feel my love. And thank you mom, for always being a JERK and pointing everything out! I mean everything!

Not much more to say here, so allow us to move on to the topics that were addressed prior to the workshop writings.

First topic, “Giving Props to the Elders”- From a very young age, we're told to respect our elders. What elder in your family deserves that respect? Was it a grandmother who raised you? A great aunt or uncle who spent time with you, and guided you toward a better future? Was it someone not related to you by genetics, but still taught you important things that you’re grateful for? What memories do you have that illustrate why this elder deserves respect? Are there elders in the world beyond your family who have earned your respect? In the generation before yours, Martin Luther King, Jr. earned the respect of the world. Is there an elder that your generation respects in this way? Tell The Beat of the elders that have meant the most to you, and why you have chosen those people to honor with your respect. Do you hope one day to be that elder that a younger generation looks to with gratitude and respect for what you have given them?

Second topic, “Judging one another” – We know from what you write in The Beat how unfair it is to be judged by nothing more than a piece of paper, or by a single mistake you might have made. But what about the judgments you (and we) make all the time? When you see a homeless person, don’t you make certain snap judgments? Don’t you judge people you don’t know by where they live, or if they come from a different country, or are a different color, or speak a different way from you? Have you ever found yourself making judgments that, after you got to know the person, turned out to be false? Thinking about how others judge you (without knowing you), tell us about how you judge others, especially those “others” who are different from you.

Third topic, “Getting kicked out’ – Most all of us have been kicked out of something. Maybe it was just a class because you were not paying attention. Maybe you got kicked out of school for fighting or not attending. What The Beat would like to know is what you have been kicked out of, and why. Have you been so drunk you were kicked out of someone’s home or a public place? Have you been kicked out of a program? Have you been kicked off a sport’s team, or other school program? What about being kicked out of your own home? Has that happened to you? So tell The Beat about a time you were kicked out of something. What led up to you being kicked out? What did you feel like when it happened? What were the consequences?

Finally, “The last time I walked in the rain…”

In closing, we’d like this issue to go out to family, however you define it, something we all have or long for.

See you next week!