By Lindsey Carusone
My name is Lindsey and I’m married to Gary and this is our 18 month old son, Hendrix.
We didn’t find out the gender till Hendrix was born. I was not prepared at the time he was born for exactly what raising a black man in America really means. It’s only been recently that I’ve realized life is and will be much different for me as a white woman raising a black man. And while I still have a lot of learning to do, I 100% know God sent me a boy because he knew I was strong enough and because he knew I’d raise him to change this world.
At our first doctor’s appointment there was a poster giving statistics of just what reading to a child can do. Test scores stood out to me. I kept reading it. You mean all I have to do is read to him and he will score better on tests?? I struggled in school and knew I didn’t want that life for him. In the beginning I made sure he got 5 books a day just like the poster said. He was little. Really little. I often questioned is he too young for this?! But as a first-time mom, the poster said it so we did it.
The amount of words Hendrix is copying right now blows my mind. I wholeheartedly believe it’s because he’s hearing so many words daily. Two of his current favorite books are Pout Pout Fish and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We are in the stage of reading the same book over and over. I had to put a three-time limit to save my sanity! I warn him last time/last book but he still gets mad when I say we’re all done. In fact, I was asked one word to describe Hendrix and I chose determined. If there’s a way, he’ll figure it out!
I have many of the same fears other parents do for their kids. But there’s so many other unknown fears based on not knowing what black men and women go through in America. I’ve seen what it’s like for my husband and pray our world improves in the coming years. I can’t change the world to be more accepting of my son, but I can give him every tool and resource available to help him, and a love of reading is one of the most important tools.