More parents should care as Toya Graham did in Baltimore

Did you see the video of the Toya Graham slapping at her son, Michael Singleton, and chasing away from the disruptive crowd (mildly said) in Baltimore? Ms. Graham says she wasn’t so worried about embarrassing her son. She was obviously pissed off that he was in the midst of the riots there this week. The single, unemployed mother of six told her son to stay away from the fray, but he went anyway.

Singleton promised his mother he would not go to the mall in Baltimore where there was trouble. Graham went too to check out the teens where were there. Singleton was wearing a mask of sorts, but, when the two made eye contact, she knew he was behind the mask. She didn’t hesitate to go after him, to stop him from getting into trouble. Later, the son admitted that the mom was just looking for her son.

If more parents took that kind of interest in their children, if more parents used the “back of the hand” the way Graham did, fewer kids would end up in trouble with the law. A calm voice at that moment may have kept Singleton out of trouble, but the strong hand and the tugging definitely pushed the son away from the trouble. It was a good show of support by mom for her son. Some children do not understand this type of support.

This incident is a reminder of the young woman who was teaching middle school chorus, not a subject of great interest for many, especially when it’s mandatory. One particular student in her class was being disruptive, and when she instructed him to report to the principal’s office, he spit on her. She reacted by slapping him, not a good situation for the young teacher. The mother of the student was called to the school to meet with the principal, the teacher and the student. When the mother entered the room, she looked at the teacher and asked, “Did you slap my child?” After confirmation of the incident, the mother said the teacher had not reacted enough. “Thanks for doing that,” she told the teacher, “but when I get my son home, he’s going to get the beating of his life for spitting on you.” Good mom!

--------------------

Dictionary.com word of the day

cacophonous (adjective) [kuh-kof-uh-nuh s]: having a harsh or discordant sound