March 17th is St. Patrick's Day. While skimming through poetry relating to St. Patrick's Day, frankly expecting to find nothing to hit my fancy, I was pleasantly surprised to run across a poem celebrating motherhood which, while written about an Irish mother, has universal application. I also found a couple of lovely Irish blessings which we all can use. [...]
In celebration of Women's History Month, today's Thoughtful Thursday features poems by well known African-American women poets: "won't you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton, "Legacies" by Nikki Giovanni, and "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou. The following biographies, courtesy of poetryfoundation.org, gives you some insight into their brilliance. A prolific and widely respected poet, Lucille Clifton's work emphasizes endurance [...]
Is your high schooler or college student thinking about what he will be doing this summer? He needs to be! The hunt for high school and college summer jobs is in full swing, with deadlines for many opportunities coming up very soon. (Note for next year: the best time to start looking around is in early January, because some [...]
Some Life Lessons from the Oscars last night for us to pass on to our sons (and daughters): The importance of telling our stories: Tarrell Alvin McCraney, who along with Barry Jenkins won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for “Moonlight”, dedicated their Oscar to “all those black and brown boys and girls and non–gender conforming who don’t see [...]
We at GCP think parents should celebrate Black History every month. But since February is the "official" Black History Month (established as such in 1967 by President Gerald Ford; now there is a bit of BHM trivia for you), we will focus on some family "must-do's" this month. 1. Talk about your Family History with your sons and daughters. [...]
Thoughtful Thursdays are back! For those new to GCP, Thoughtful Thursdays feature poetry, quotes, and other literary delights for you to enjoy and share with your sons. The first Thoughtful Thursday of Black History Month 2017 features a classic poem by Langston Hughes, "I Too, Sing America". In this poem Hughes reminds us that Americans of all hues can [...]
Yesterday we said our last goodbyes to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. We watched them get on that helicopter with our hearts full of gratitude and pride. Today we watch women across the globe march for equal rights and against the new administration. There is a lot to process, a lot to get ready for, a lot [...]
In honor of Dr. King's birthday, here are some of his many wise words. Let us all share some of Dr. King's wisdom with our sons and daughters as we celebrate his life. Enjoy! “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of [...]
Happy New Year GCP! Every year we all talk about making resolutions and ways we are going to change in 2017. Here at GCP we want to suggest a few things that parents should not change, but should keep doing in 2017: 1) Stay focused on being a thoughtful and conscious parent: Listening to your son, and paying careful [...]
Here's an inspiring story to tell your sons about as we close out 2016. Caylin Moore, a young Black college senior who is a varsity football player and an honor student at Texas Christian University, was among the 32 men and women awarded a 2017 Rhodes Scholarship. This achievement, impressive for anyone, is downright amazing when you consider his [...]