One Secret to Success for a Working Mom, Expand Your Village (Jack and Jill of America)

Jack and Jill of America member and her daughter Recently, I have become keenly aware that good kids are created by accident. They become good because someone made a concerted effort to pour positive things into them--things like, honor, discipline and respect for others. These qualities are taught through lessons and by observation. For that reason, I have been actively considering how to give my children more examples of people who embody those qualities.  Indeed, raising my children to become good people is my most important job.

Happy Halloween! #Halloween2020

Everything is a bit odd in 2020. We are living as if in a fog. The fog is filled with doubt and uncertainty about our futures. And yet, as my sister Reenah Golden would say, we press on. Halloween was no different. My husband was resolute about taking the kids trick or treating. And if you know him then you know that there was no stopping him. 


So, instead of fighting him. I joined in. Also, although I may not have been inclined to go trick or treating, I recognized that the kids were craving it. They have had in-person school taken from them. They have had their birthdays stripped to the bare bones because friends haven't been able to attend. They have had their favorite past times, like the Children's Museum and eating in restaurants, taken from them, on a visceral level, they needed normalcy.


And nothing screams normalcy and community like trick or treating. And so, we dressed up. We went out. And we said "trick or treat". We practiced social distancing the best that we could and I prayed that our venture into normalcy wasn't contributing to a "super spreader" event. Seeing the smiles and hearing the kids laugh convinced me that this was exactly what they needed. 









We were able to venture out because they are already in virtual school. So, if God forbid, they exhibit symptoms, we can quarantine them without much disruption. I know that everyone doesn't have the ability to do that, but I am grateful that we did. We also consume elderberry, zinc, vitamin C and D regularly to boost our immune systems.  

I don't have all of the answers, but I know that what we did was right for our family. Our courage in venturing out seemed to be what the community needed as well. A lot of folks bought candy and set things up in a socially distanced way to ensure that families had the ability to partake in the Halloween festivities. Based on the numbers, it seemed like a lot of people were craving some normalcy.


How did you spend your Halloween?!


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