No New Parents

Happy Tuesday #Jontourage,

Welcome back to the “Classy Gent Chronicles”, where staying classy is the only way to be.  Let's jump right into it....

Y’all remember the song “No New Friends”.  I often write about the real world in my blogs but today, we are going to take a supernatural twist.  So recently I watched the movie, “Abducted: The Carlina White Story” which is about a woman, Carlina White, who was kidnapped as a baby from the hospital.  She was raised by her abductor but realized as a teenage that was not her biological mother.  Through some more research and help from the police, she was connected with her biological parents.  The story is actually true which is crazy someone would abduct a baby.  The whole movie got me thinking, “what would have been different about me if I was raised by someone else other than my actual mom and dad?”  Here are a few predictions/theories I came up with as to what life would be life for me:

1.       I may have played basketball/football- Many families tend to strongly encourage (in some families, force) their sons to play a sport that has some height/weight to him.  Some families see their big and tall son as a cash cow and it can cause a lot of problems when a child feels forced to do something they don’t enjoy.  I am actually grateful my parents never forced sports upon me.
2.       I may have moved around a lot-  My dad has pretty much been with the same company for over two decades after retiring as a police officer.  Since he has such a great work ethic and he is big on consistency and stability so he has never searched for a new full time job.  There are some folks who can’t keep a job or like to switch around a lot.  That could have caused me to have to move.  I loved growing up in the same neighbor so I am grateful for that.
3.       I may have lost many opportunities- The joys of my parents are that they are pretty calm people.  When they are upset they will write a letter and handle it civically.  Some people’s only respond to problems through fighting and cursing folks out.  Handling your problems like that can often cause backlash for your child especially if a teacher and a parent got into it.  Too often, kids have paid the price for the actions of their parents.
4.       I probably wouldn’t be such a Mya fan- As I mentioned in my previous blog, my mom used to work with the label that Mya was signed to so as a result, I became a fan early on.   That is an interesting change I wouldn’t have liked.  You can read the blog here http://www.jonathancharris.com/blog/mya-classy-creative-cool
5.       I probably wouldn’t have written a book- Shocker right? I know!!! Well my mom and dad are really big on life lessons.  Growing up, you get a little annoyed to always feel like you’re at school when you have parents always giving teachable moments regardless where you are.  Although it was frustrating at the time, it became very useful to have all those life lessons I practiced when it came time to write that book.
6.       My time management would not be as strong- Both are my parents are very organized people in their right.  My dad more so with how he keeps his room and plans out his money.  My mom is organized when it comes to planning events and looking at the intricate details of something.  It has helped me tremendously throughout my life when it came to staying organized.  You can’t really be disorganized when it is a billion planners sitting around the house.
7.       I probably would not love chicken alfredo as much- My mom loves pasta.  I couldn’t imagine a family that doesn’t like pasta.  My stomach turns as I think about that horrible image.
8.       I probably would not love the movies as much either- My dad loves the movies.  Growing up…even now, we sometimes see two to three movies per week.  Yes you heard me correctly…. per week!!!  That’s our thing
9.       I might have more siblings- My parents never talked about other kids after me but it would have been kind of cool to have some more brothers and sisters.  You definitely learn about the importance of sharing.
10.   I might have to get a job early on- I am so grateful my parents didn’t make me work.  Many kids have to support their families so they get jobs at the age of 14.  I was fortunate enough that I was not asked to contribute to finances.  Not working as a teenager freed up a lot of time to be involved in after school activities which allowed me to gain leadership experience.
In life, we often wonder “what if”.  Sometimes, “what if” is not always better than what is.

Moral of the story:  There are sometimes I wish were different but I am grateful for the life I have.  I know my parents did the best job they could and that’s all I ever needed.  I appreciate them so much because they have done so much for me to have better opportunities.  How would your life be different if someone else raised you?
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​Remember, in order to live out your dreams, you have to think it, feel it, live it!  Until next time, stay classy... ​