Other People’s Kids – Part I

Last July, I became guardian to 4/5 of my sister’s kids.  I love these children, but keep in mind, I don’t like kids (and I don’t feel guilty about it)….love them to death, preferably from a distance.  You can keep all of these lil crumb snatchers outta my personal space.  My son is an only child for a reason.

 

 

Let me tell y’all about Showtime aka Pretty Ricky.  He’s 13, smart & all his life folks have thought he was my son, not my nephew.  I call him Showtime because he’s very animated.  I also call him Pretty Ricky at times because he has this Bone Thugs thing going on with all this hair on his head & he thinks he’s fine.  He’s also quite fashion conscious.  At least as conscious as a 13 year old can get.  He’s pretty independent & of his 4 other siblings, he’s my favorite….just don’t tell him.  He’ll attempt to use it to his advantage.  He’s also a Gemini & works my nerves & the Rockwood School District’s with his moods.  This boy was moody from the day he was born.

 

 

Then there’s Cool J who’s 11.  They call him that because his real initials are LL.  Since he was about 2, I’ve called him Cole Brown, because he’s short & thick.  His genetics dictate he’ll {probably} never be taller than 5’6”.  He’s a mama’s boy to the bone!  He’s quite sensitive at times & a pit bull at others.  True Piscean.

 

 

Then there are the twins – 7 year-old Cancer females.  They are as different as night & day.  One is kinda bossy and must be heard.  The other is shy and reserved. 

 

 

This is where Nanny Rose, may she rest in peace, saved my life.  Without blinking an eye, she was willing to take them all if it meant keeping them out of the system.  Fortunately, it didn’t come to that.  She took her girls and I kept the boys.

 

 

This is also where having the kind of relationship I have with my manager paid off.  Due to the bullshit that comes with my bloodline, keeping secrets is too damn hard to do, so I've always shared most of the BS with her so she knew what was happening with me.  I've worked under her for a decade and just like my mother, she can look in my face and know that something's amiss.  Even tho she's partially disabled she offered to help.  She also made it easy for me to miss countless days from work to handle this situation.

 

 

Anybody who knows me, knows I had no intention of mothering any more children, let alone those who belong to someone else...family or not.  I used to be soooo glad my mother didn’t have a house full of kids, especially since I was the oldest.  She even told me once, had my father (who was 3^rd of 11) lived, she probably would’ve had a bunch of kids.  Despite all that, now is the time when multiple, responsible, capable & caring siblings would so be a blessing!  Alas, that’s not the case.

 

 

These kids have literally turned my life, my house & my wallet upside down & inside out.  I was footloose & fancy-free for a minute & then duty called.  I was free to come & go as I pleased with worrying about the well being of someone else.  I was free to sleep all damn day & skip meals if I so desired.  Me & “my friend” were free to walk around naked as the day we were born & make as much noise during those intimate times as we wanted, without covering up, locking doors & worrying about virgin ears hearing grown folks business.  God forbid if these boys accidentally see my “dawgs” roaming free or his "solider" seeking some attention.

 

 

When the situation 1^st arose, honestly, all I could think about was how I would be effected & how my life had to change. Selfish?  Maybe.  Honest?  Definitely!  I had to remember what my mother taught me about my selfishness a long time ago.  She would say, “MDB (of course using the entire name she had so carefully chosen for me), it’s not gonna always be about you!”  Let’s just say I think my mama knew.

 

 

To be continued……