Eugenia Essentials

I wanted to take an opportunity to stray away from my usual topics to comment on President Obama’s recent address to high school students.

While I missed the address on TV, I was wondering what all the hoopla was about.

For the life of me I cannot understand why some parents would not want their child to have the chance to hear what the leader of our country had to say directly to them, especially if he was making an appearance in their school. Wouldn’t most consider this an honor and once in a life time opportunity?

Thanks to the magic of You Tube, I got to listen to the speech. I thought he was inspiring, encouraging and understanding. His remarks reminded me of a father giving advice to his children. Advice not unlike something my own father may have told me, and God knows we had a lot of heart to hearts. What is wrong with those parents, that they would not want the president to challenge and encourage their children to stay in school and work harder to achieve their goals? What parent would not want someone to say to their child, it’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them; that it’s not only okay to ask for help if you need it, but shows courage as well. Frankly, when I was a student I wish someone had impressed upon me that asking for help was not a sign of weakness. Maybe I would have asked for help more than I did!

I think  young people need more adults to encourage them to discover their hidden talents by trying different  things in school, like joining the debate team, or taking that science class.  Life is too confusing and challenging as it is. They need straight talk from someone who has “been there, done that.” And if for some reason you couldn’t say these things to them yourself, wouldn’t you hope someone would?

Growing up, my family always ran their own business (restaurant & hotel). While my cousins and I were sometimes given money if we asked, more often than not we were told we would have to earn it. We often found ourselves cleaning windows with sheets of newspapers and white vinegar, or crawling under the tables in the dining room, wiping dust away from the legs of the chairs and the tables, or standing at the pantry sink washing the water glasses. And we were happy to do it! Sometimes we would take this rusty old toy wagon and go around collecting soda bottles and return them to the little market in town for the deposits. The money we earned from these “jobs” sometimes got reinvested into packets of Kool-Aid and we would set up our little corner Kool-Aid stand, selling cups for a quarter. The Kool-Aid money would eventually get spent on penny candy or ice cream popsicles or maybe we’d treat ourselves to a hamburger at the luncheonette.

Maybe if I never had that Kool-Aid partnership with my cousin, I wouldn’t have had the courage to start Eugenia Essentials. Maybe she wouldn’t be her own boss as an independent retail rep for Revlon Cosmetics.

I guess what I’m getting at here: kids need to be encouraged to find ways to be self-sufficient, creative and be their own problem solvers. These are all skills that will be needed to survive and thrive as adults.

What’s the alternative to not staying in school…drugs…welfare…teen pregnancy?

I wish President Obama could have come to my school back in the day.