Better, Not Bitter: 3 Things MamaDurant Can Teach Single Moms
In the aftermath of the inspirational Kevin Durant NBA MVP speech, there have been a slew of articles about his speech and his mom, Wanda Pratt – @MamaDurant on Twitter. I think NBA fans and the country in general have been overdue for a near-perfect display of great character from a talented young athlete. Unfortunately, some recent examples have been a little less than stellar.
In case you haven’t seen the speech, here’s the full video:
Throughout his message Kevin thanks the people who played key roles in his life and his journey to NBA MVP. But of course, as everyone knows there wasn’t a dry eye in the place when late in the speech he honored his mother and her sacrifice to help him become the man he is.
Ms. Pratt has provided 3 lessons for single moms everywhere trying to raise children to be proud of.
1. Responsibility
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Ms. Pratt speaks in multiple interviews and articles about the importance of sacrificing and putting your children first. She acknowledges that that alone is not a guarantee for raising a responsible child. Somehow you have to also impress the importance of a sense of responsibility to them as well. Because his mom worked multiple jobs at times to support the family, the boys stepped into being responsible together when they were young. Kevin references how he looked up to his older brother and in turn, his younger brother has looked up to him. He spoke of his viewpoint of the sacrifices his mother made, but also the feelings of happiness and excitement when the family achieved big accomplishments together. Just a note for the non-custodial co-parents, especially if you’re not playing the role you KNOW you ought to be playing in you child's life life. Get involved NOW. Your absence impacts your child's life as much as the custodial parent’s presence. And that also goes for those moms yet to start the journey to living better, not bitter after the end of a relationship. Let the pain go and let your kids see their dad NOW.
Rene Syler is a wife, mother, breast cancer advocate and television personality whose burning desire to tell the truth about modern motherhood led her to create GoodEnoughMother.com. When not spending time with her family or burning something for dinner, Rene travels the country as host of Sweet Retreats on The Live Well Network and Exhale on Aspire.
