"If You Bungle Raising Your Children ..." (Failure is not an option!)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis said it best with her quote, "If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much." I decided long ago that I would not bungle this important God-given task!

Of course, this blog will reference what I’ve done with my sons (you can also see them in pictures and posts on Facebook and Twitter – connect to PhillySportsMom). It is also a tribute to values and lessons taught to me by my parents (Ulysses and Bessie Mobley), a love of baseball passed down by my father (Ulys/Uly/Preacher – take your choice) and the messages given me while still young – “to be independent, that I could become whatever I chose to become, that I could accomplish whatever I pursued, not to depend on man, and that all things are possible ….!” I can still see myself riding in the car with my father and frequently having him say to me, “Baby, if you don’t help yourself, you can’t help anybody else.” I saw my mother in action daily – she was a “teacher’s teacher” and redirected many a child in Philadelphia’s School District. I will never forget watching the faces of the children who spoke at her funeral, letting everybody know about the impact Mrs.Mobley had on their still young lives. Since “nailing” those early lessons in life, I’ve developed expertise in making lemonade out of lemons! Today, I share this with all of you - others may fall off, place barriers in your way, lie to you, not stand by you or assist you, instead choosing the attitude “it’s all about me” and partying life away (until the light bulb goes on)! Somehow, people see raising children as a "chore" not as the "gift" it's meant to be! Know that if you are successful, people will fall in line years later, surrounding your child/ren – everybody wants to be identified with a winner! If you fail, you will be blamed forever by lots of folk! In fact, it will seem like people are waiting in the wings to watch you fail. Make them wait forever! Failure is NOT an option!