Naleighna Kai's Literary Cafe Magazine Father's Day Tributes | Page 32

RAISING SONS: Men and Women Have a Valuable Part to Play SOCIETY TODAY WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE that every boy needs a father figure in their life to grow into a man. Moreover, it would lead you to believe that this figure can’t be a woman. To some extent that is correct, male role models play a part, but mothers are not excluded from playing a part as well. I am neither here to qualify or dispel this belief. Like a gardener, a man plants the seed that grows into the son. However, not every man that plants a seed can bring the seed to fruition. So, are we to believe that the boys who make it into adulthood with only a mother’s input, are not, in fact, men? Anita L. Roseboro-Wade, a native of North Carolina, was born to parents who never finished high school which fostered her determination to obtain a BS in Management Information Systems and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She is a passionate advocate for children and the cultivation of their minds in that they become productive members of society. Currently, Anita is pursuing her life-long dream of writing. With my boys, my goal has always been to teach them to be “more than.” It doesn’t matter what the “more than” is, but for them to always strive to be more than what anyone has told them or more than it has been thought that they will ever be. I extend this knowledge to other boys as well. I have seen first-hand, mothers raising their sons to be husbands and fathers with excellent character regardless of whether there was a father or father figure around. Sons that defy all the odds set against them and become invaluable in society. Fathers often want their sons to follow in their footsteps. That is all well and good, but if said father