[Kamikaze]  Spring Cleaning Jackson

by Kamikaze
March 2, 2011

Bralynn Jamila Franklin turns 1 year old Thursday, March 3. Seems like just yesterday my bride and I were blessed with our little miracle.

Babies change you. They change the way you think. They change the way you act. They even change your outlook on life. It’s funny how something so small can loom so large when you’re deciding even your next step.

It’s well documented that my wife and I have somewhat of an extended break between kids. Let me tell you, chasing a baby around the house is a lot less tiring in your 20s than it is in your 30s. It’s a lot easier to operate on just a few hours of sleep when you’re a spry college grad, trust me. Instead of rising at 8:30 a.m. you’re dragging yourself up at 5:30 a.m. Whisking away to bed at midnight turns into rushing to bed at 10 p.m. trying to maximize those Zs. A romantic evening becomes the Queen and I stealing away 30 minutes to catch up at the end of the night once we’ve laid the little princess to bed.

Honestly, we’re just along for the ride. Little Ms. Bralynn runs the household. My life has now turned to making hers the best it can be, better than mine, in a city that’s better than it is today. For me, it’s that serious.

Everyone talks about this generation being the first to do worse than its parents. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I do know that if that’s the case, I want it to stop with my daughter. The hell that I raise is not for me, it’s not even for my teenagers; it’s for Bralynn. It’s for all the children turning 1 this week in Jackson, who I hope won’t think twice about remaining in Jackson to continue their education, work and raise a family.

We have to demand better, and we have to begin immediately.

Parents have a slightly different view of things. We’re all anal-retentive when it comes to our kids. We want the best for them even to our own detriment. We want our kids educated in the best environment possible. Who doesn’t want their child prepared to attack the world? But the clock is running: In 5 years, I’ll have to make the decision whether to send my daughter to a Jackson public school. I would love to be able to do it without thinking twice. Right now, I fight so that choice will be made easier.

In 20 years, Bralynn will be deciding whether she’ll begin adult life in Jackson. Will she stay if the roads are still deplorable? Will she stay if the pipes in her apartment keep freezing during inclement weather? Probably not. So right now, I fight.

Will my daughter be as proud of Jackson as her father? If not, it won’t be from my lack of trying, that’s for sure. Right now, I fight, because 20 years is just around the corner.

So this is dedicated to you, Bralynn. Daddy wishes you many, many more happy birthdays after this one. You may not remember your first birthday, but if you happen to go back through the archives and read this, know that this one was just as important for your old man as it was for you. Your arrival helped to change the way your father thinks. I went from thinking about me to always thinking and acting for you. Every move I made, every deal I did, every fight I started was for you and your mother. It was because I wanted you to inherit a Jackson better than the one that exists now.

We are great, and we can be greater. We just had to do a little spring cleaning is all.

And that’s the truth ... sho-nuff.

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