And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

There. I said it.

It troubles me that the standard in America seems to be that we worship our mothers while at the same time, we criticize our fathers. And if we’re not criticizing them outright, we emasculate them softly by reminding them of their roles of responsibility and leadership. Grown men need to be reminded of what God called them to do? When was the last time we reminded a mother to breastfeed her child? When was the last time we called for mothers to be more responsible to the family?

I know. I know. In our society, far too many men have run from their roles as dads. Those are the bad apples but when did a few bad apples define what an apple tastes like? I know many men who are good parents. Period.

My father was absent most of my childhood and when he was around, his presence did more harm than good. I’ve determined to be the opposite – the dad that I always wanted. To me, there is both a semantic and emotional difference between the titles of father and dad. A father seeds a child and bears the responsibility of taking care of her. A dad does that and additionally has a relationship with his child. The title, dad, evokes images of a child sitting in his or her dad’s lap.

I encourage those men who are naturally drawn to parent their children. I encourage those good dads who’s ill fate is to share the same sentence with deadbeat dads. I encourage those good dads beyond Father’s Day. I encourage those men who are parents, simply stated. Just like our mothers, we need you and are thankful for you. Happy Father’s Day… and beyond.

Actually it’s mostly me, Kenn, who is back from the nether-reaches of real life but my ever loyal sidekicks are never far behind.

I’m back to frequent (at least 3 times a week) blogging so I look forward to our exchanges. My novel, PIOUS, will be coming out pretty soon and I have some very exciting things to share leading up to that experience. Cover art, release date, and book website to be revealed soon.

16 years ago or January 19, 1994, my namesake and firstborn graced the world with his pale yellow face. Before he was old enough to do much more than eat and poop and cry (sometimes in that order), he taught me something extraordinary – how to love unconditionally.

Kenn 2.0 or King K or Kenneth Christopher Bivins II,… Dad loves you more today than yesterday. You are a blessing and blessed at once and you mean more to me than you can begin to fathom. I and the world celebrate you. You’ve been making a difference since 1994. Happy Birthday, Kenn.

Want to see a LOT of pics of us with our new friends from the parade and festivities?

Love you, Spencer and Kenn. You are the sauce beneath my wings

This past weekend, my namesake and I participated in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking film by Spike Lee, Do The Right Thing at the Fox Theatre. We had opportunity to meet the visionary icon of film and spend a bit of time in exchange with him. Apparently, not many people knew of his scheduled appearance at a bookstore in Atlanta so we enjoyed the casual accessibility.

Do The Right Thing is such an amazing film and I was reminded of my previous fixation with it and the anthem by Public Enemy that permeates throughout the movie. It was awesome to see Rosie Perez gyrate to the opening titles and share that experience with my son.

If you haven’t viewed the movie in a while (or ever), I urge you to check it out (regardless of your ethnicity). It is not a black movie. There were no reported race riots that immediately followed the release of the film as the irresponsible and fear-mongering media attempted to provoke. What there was was a dialogue between cultures and ethnicities that is still quite relevant today.

“Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant s** to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother**** him and John Wayne
Cause I’m Black and I’m proud” – excerpt from “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy