Stories with Students: On role models

“The closest boy to me, my age, growing up was my older cousin Reggie. He is two years older than me. Yeah, that was my guy growing up. There weren’t a lot of guys. He was just someone I got to grow up with. I think that’s always important with parenting, and I am not telling anyone what to do, but I know I want to have kids close in age, just so they have someone to grow up beside. Just, you know, having a best friend, knowing ‘Okay, I can relate to this person. I know they’re with me. I can spend time with them.’ Because, you know, I was attached to [Reggie] and I dang near wanted him to live with us even though he only lived a couple blocks away. You know, he was my guy.”

-DS