Be like Mike... Be better than Mike

One of the greatest basketball players God has ever made got caught from his high school basketball team. He went on to win championships and leave a legacy behind that others marvel and envy. He has some big shoes to fill. As parents we have a lot on are plates when raising children. We have to understand that every decision that we make impacts you, your family (married or not), and most of all your offspring. My mom always says  "do as I say & not as I do" but what if you do is better than what you say?

Most children are raised based on experiences. The saying goes "you will raise your child the way you were raised" but that is not always the case. If you were abused would you abuse your child or if you were starved to death would you starve your kids? Probably not but I do know that how you were raised will be an opportunity to take that experience, grow, and learn from it in order to: A. be a parent. B. become a better parent. Make good decisions for you and those decisions will be great for your children. 

There is no book on how to raise a child... No gospel, koran, or a^2 * b^ = c^2 that will give you the perfect child.  Be weary and skeptical of opinions on parenting because lives can vary from experiences, social norms, and personal biases. Statements like "I never had a dad so I'm always going to be there for my child" or "I had nothing so I'm going to work hard to make sure my child will have everything I didn't have" become mantras for people before they become parents. The utopia that we create about parenting drastically changes once you become a parent. The norm is not always the norm and what should be may not always be what is best for the team remember you can sometimes win in a lost. As parents (married or single) remember that you are a team and your role as a starter and decisions you make are  just as important as the bench players... Just ask  John Paxson.