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I always thought it was a sure thing that I can raise my little boy into a gentleman. I had dreams of him being a successful, humble young man that would marry and live a comfortable life. Having my child at the young age of 19, I wasn’t a bit afraid of motherhood. I was excited, I adored my baby and knew that I needed to do whatever necessary to groom him, mold him into a perfect little man. I wanted to give him the world and more.

It hasn’t been until now, that I realize how difficult raising a teenage boy has become. My dreams of having a perfect little man are unreal and impossible. I have built my life around my kids to make sure they have everything they need plus more. I promised to give them the best things I could possibly give, including quality time, a good education and most importantly my love. It seems that boys need more than their motherly love; they need a strong foundation, guidance from a man.

I had to make the hardest decision in my life, and that is to give up and give my child, my son over to his father completely. I feel that I have done everything possible these past 15 years of his life, but it’s apparent that my best isn’t good enough. I don’t give up on having hopes that my son will still succeed, I have faith that these tough times shall pass and he will realize that life is more than girls and parties.

I am very thankful that he has a father that cares for him and wants the best for him as well. His ultimate goal is to make sure that our son isn’t a statistic and fall in the hands of the streets and drugs. We both want him to experience life better than what either of us had. It’s a parents’ natural instinct to overprotect and push their kids to their fullest potential. It is our job to guide him and lead him to his destiny, but it is up to him take the necessary step and embrace what God has in store for him.

To sum it up, as a single mother, I have done everything in my body to raise a boy into a man to the best of my ability. As a woman I can teach him what I think a man should be, I can teach him what I’ve learned of my dad and brothers. But as a woman, I can’t show him how to be a man. A father’s job is to show his boy how to become a man. It is a father’s duty to steer his son to greatness and show him how to become a leader. It takes a strong, positive man to raise his son and reinforce what a real man should be. So I am giving shouts out to those men that are part of their children’s lives and take responsibility of their own. It takes two to raise a child.