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Baltimore mom who smacked son at riot: I don't play

I'm not saying a single mother can't raise good kids, but after raising a family, I don't think I could have done it alone successfully. As the mom, I contributed to part of their needs and their father contributed to others. Both important but very different. Not just that with kids comes all the meals; a good breakfast to start the day, lunches someone needed to pack, dinners, checking homework after school, baths and reading bedtime stories, making sure everyone had clothes ready for the following day and in between it all squeezing in running to special activities the children were involved in, and both of us worked. There were doctor's appointments, dentist appointments, optometrist appointments, etc. etc. etc. and it took both of us to get what was needed done.

Right now over 70% of all black babies are born to single mothers. But the birth of Hispanic babies to single mothers is also on the rise somewhere close to 50%. And white babies being born to single mothers has reached over 35%. There seem to be a lot of daddies missing in action.
 
I'm sure there is no shortage of people who resent the mother for removing a "protester" from the streets

I'm sure there is no shortage of righties that would suggest this woman is a conservative.
 
Dang, all those fathers are criminals? I'm not so sure I'm willing to join you in that rather disturbing accusation.
Why do you assume all those fathers are criminals? That's a rather disturbing assumption on your part.
 
Ignoring that some in this thread would like to switch topics to single black women demographics on pregnancy and abortion, I'd like to point out to those who criticize this mother for sternly disciplining her son that few of us know what it is like to raise teenaged boys in an inner-city wrought with gangs. I raised five teenagers in a relatively safe suburb, and I discovered early on that although parents might have been the most important people in their child's life, once they are teenagers the most important people in their lives are their peers.

This mother knows all too well that if her son's peers take control of him, he very well could be the next young black man dead in the streets of Baltimore. I applaud her.
 
The neighborhood has influence, too, and maybe she's countering it the best she can. Not literally everything comes from parents and/or home.

That is very true. All I am asking is that we put on the table the dirty ugly little secret - perhaps even an open secret - that many poor people in this country - or people who grew up poor - have different cultural values when it comes to parenting and one of those is the use of a heavy hand with their own children and what effect that may have upon those same children.
 
I'm not saying a single mother can't raise good kids, but after raising a family, I don't think I could have done it alone successfully. As the mom, I contributed to part of their needs and their father contributed to others. Both important but very different. Not just that with kids comes all the meals; a good breakfast to start the day, lunches someone needed to pack, dinners, checking homework after school, baths and reading bedtime stories, making sure everyone had clothes ready for the following day and in between it all squeezing in running to special activities the children were involved in, and both of us worked. There were doctor's appointments, dentist appointments, optometrist appointments, etc. etc. etc. and it took both of us to get what was needed done.

Right now over 70% of all black babies are born to single mothers. But the birth of Hispanic babies to single mothers is also on the rise somewhere close to 50%. And white babies being born to single mothers has reached over 35%. There seem to be a lot of daddies missing in action.

You know what Vesper.. go **** yourself.

I am a one child of a single mother of two. My mother raised the hell out of me. She was both my mother and father and don't thing for one second she didn't shy from a belt or some form of punishment. We grew up poor, not inner city poor but white poor. Breakfast was offered by school and so was lunch. But every night we damn well had dinner at home. There was bed time stories until we were older and as we got older it was Simpsons then bed.

She washed our clothes.. but She made us learn to iron our clothes and get ready for school. A form of responsibility early in life, along with chores and doing homework. To the point our allowance become less on chores but more on our educational results. My mother NEVER gave money if your GPA was less then a 2.9 or lower. So my brother and I were B or higher students. In fact by the time we were in 9th grade we were taking AP classes. I finished 2nd in my High School class and my brother 3rd. I was the first in my family who went to College. I have a BA in Economics, minor in Finance and MBA. I am also slowing working to my Ph.d as I have kids now and raising a family. My brother, served 6 years in the US Army in Military Intel. He is HIGHLY respected and was offered high six figures from contractors. He's best work is classified and it revolves around code breaking.

Single mother provide a knowledge that most privileged kids don't get. I've had friends who had two parents and they look like deer in headlights which **** hits the fan. Hell, I learned early in my life how to jungle things which has allowed me to be successful. Taught me to grind it out, not give up.

So again **** you.. your understanding of single parents homes.. is limited to you making judgements.
 
Although I don't condone the mom hitting her son , I can understand her anger and her fear for the safety of her son could have caused her loss of self control.

What I do praise is that she cared about her son and she went to mall when she heard that a protest had gotten out hand , put her own safety at potential risk to get him and keep him away from the potential riot.


Graham told Cooper that she saw her son with a brick in his hand, and she lost control of her emotions and told him to drop it.


"I did (get emotional). You know, once he threw that rock down I said, 'You weren't brought up like this,' " Graham said.

He's not a perfect child, but he's also not a thug, she said.

The 16-year-old boy said he understood that his mother was there looking out for him.

"She didn't want me to get in trouble (with the) law. She didn't want me to be like another Freddie Gray," he said, referring to the 25-year-old man who died of a severe spinal injury after being arrested by Baltimore police.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/29/us/baltimore-mother-slapping-son/
 
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You know what Vesper.. go **** yourself.

I am a one child of a single mother of two. My mother raised the hell out of me. She was both my mother and father and don't thing for one second she didn't shy from a belt or some form of punishment. We grew up poor, not inner city poor but white poor. Breakfast was offered by school and so was lunch. But every night we damn well had dinner at home. There was bed time stories until we were older and as we got older it was Simpsons then bed.

She washed our clothes.. but She made us learn to iron our clothes and get ready for school. A form of responsibility early in life, along with chores and doing homework. To the point our allowance become less on chores but more on our educational results. My mother NEVER gave money if your GPA was less then a 2.9 or lower. So my brother and I were B or higher students. In fact by the time we were in 9th grade we were taking AP classes. I finished 2nd in my High School class and my brother 3rd. I was the first in my family who went to College. I have a BA in Economics, minor in Finance and MBA. I am also slowing working to my Ph.d as I have kids now and raising a family. My brother, served 6 years in the US Army in Military Intel. He is HIGHLY respected and was offered high six figures from contractors. He's best work is classified and it revolves around code breaking.

Single mother provide a knowledge that most privileged kids don't get. I've had friends who had two parents and they look like deer in headlights which **** hits the fan. Hell, I learned early in my life how to jungle things which has allowed me to be successful. Taught me to grind it out, not give up.

So again **** you.. your understanding of single parents homes.. is limited to you making judgements.

She should have washed your mouth out with soap
 
All I read is "Mom did good, but.." "why is she a single Mom?" Lets go assuming we know what her life is like. Lets put ourselves on a pedestal without having been there. Get a hold of yourselves. Single motherhood isn't just a black issue and it isn't isolated to that Baltimore community.
Give the woman some credit for doing the best under the circumstances.
Of course kids raised by stable and loving families would be ideal, but we have to deal with reality. Not everyone is perfect. No ****.
 
All I read is "Mom did good, but.." "why is she a single Mom?" Lets go assuming we know what her life is like. Lets put ourselves on a pedestal without having been there. Get a hold of yourselves. Single motherhood isn't just a black issue and it isn't isolated to that Baltimore community.
Give the woman some credit for doing the best under the circumstances.
Of course kids raised by stable and loving families would be ideal, but we have to deal with reality. Not everyone is perfect. No ****.
And yet single motherhood, not police brutality, is the root cause of the violence in black communities
 
She said she did not raise her son that way. Sometimes it's the peers that have more influence on these kids and not the parents. If all the moms were out there and did this and got their kids off the street,all the police would have bowed down to them. He wasn't even in pain,his ego was just bruised. Also I have friends of all races, and most of my single mom or divorced friends are white. This is societal, not just a black issue.
 
And yet single motherhood, not police brutality, is the root cause of the violence in black communities

Does that mean affluent white kids never break the law?
 
While I applaud her actions, I can hardly call her a hero. If you want fo find someone to call a hero, find the parents who's kids weren't out rioting. Those are the ones deserving of being called a hero.
 
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