RAISING WOLVES: Passport Kids
Children are both a blessing and life changing.
I remember leaving the hospital, driving home with my newborn daughter and wife feeling incredibly nervous. It was the first time I had ever felt real responsibility.
This wasn’t like paying a bill or trying to find a job after college. This was protecting the life I helped create. I vividly remember being pissed at the way people were driving that night. They were going so fast and changing lanes with no signal(s). They’re trying to get to their destinations as fast as possible and I just wanted to protect my baby.
Responsibility.
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My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me.”
Jim Valvano
Fast forward two years later, I now have two children. One boy and one girl. My number of children might have changed but the plan is still the same, like the night of me driving my family home. My responsibility is to lead them and protect them in every way possible.
The one way we are doing that is by giving our children as many opportunities we can. My wife is Italian, Canadian and American. I’m Jamaican and American. Our babies will have their choice of citizenship.
Playing basketball overseas helped me realize the world offers more opportunities when you have options.
Can’t make the American team? Try the Italian, Jamaican or Canadian team. You don’t want to go to school in the U.S.? No problem. Let’s go somewhere in Europe because you have an EU passport.
My responsibility is to give them the world. I’m not talking fancy cars and nice clothes. Literally the world. Be bilingual. Eat according to the culture. Be comfortable wherever you land. Just because you were born in Georgia doesn’t mean Georgia is your only home. Educating my babies they can fail in one place but be a total success in another. My responsibility is to give them a life I couldn’t imagine. To be true citizens of the world and to belong without asking permission.
Our duty as parents is to give our children a blueprint, to shield them as best as possible in every facet of their lives and I’m using basketball to do just that.
My question to you is: how are you using your job or life experience to give your children a better life than yours?