Letter to de Parents

(de nex’ part)

copyright to the webmistress (yuh ole teef)

Trust. Allyer remember dat word? Remember how Miss Mertle used to run a sou-sou for years? She roof had leak in it an’ she only had two chicken running in de yard but she used to hole yuh money fuh yuh good as ever. Remember how when yuh han’ was empty yuh could still go by de shop and trust a little salt meat and some rice? When de money come een yuh make it yuh business to go and clear yuh acconk, remember?

Yuh readin’ de papers dese days? Enron teef people money, Arthur Anderson drive de get away car. CIBC declarin’ all kine’a bogus losses. Ministers of Parliament bawlin’ like twenty tarzan dat dere million dollar raise not enough, de cahcahdah too small. De more dey have is de more dey want and is we money jumpin’ up in steelban’. Yuh ever see more highclass nonsense?

Yuh cah trust people dese days so yuh need to grow a trust between you and yuh chirren. Is not jes’ dem who should keep dey word but you have to keep your word too an’ guide an’ proteck dem so dey can depen’ on you fuh good decisions.

Friday yuh get pay an’ by de time yuh pay rent, buy a metropass an’ pass een No Frills, money done. Yuh teenage daughter want de new jeans everybody wearing – one’a dem Clench or Rockawear. You feel bad tuh tell she no so yuh chinks on de grocery and buy it fuh she. So now your 16 year old dressin’ in style – like a jammet.

De apple’a yuh eye want a cell phone. "Dad it’s like all the guys have one Dad! I’m like the only man who doesn’t like have a cell, Dad!" He tell yuh how if he have a phone, he could leh yuh know whey he is. He tell yuh dat yuh could fine him any time. So yuh buy yuh boy chile a cell phone. Buh de phone have caller ID. He know when is you callin’ tuh tell he is time to come eenside. He does pick an’ choose when tuh answer your call.

You doh want yuh chile to feel lef’ out buh you need to tink fuh you and fuh dem. If you givin’ yuh girl chile money to buy half naked clothes. Yuh sen’in’ she by de hairdresser to have more weave dan a race horse. Yuh leh’in she wear a set’a makeup. Yuh does feel nice when people stop de two’a allyer an’ akse if allyer is sisters. You know you in yuh forties! It mean dat not only is you who lookin’ young but it mean dat yuh chile lookin’ older dan she is. Doh get surprise den when men up in dere thirties and forties lookin’ tuh interfere wid your lil girl!

Yuh boy beg for a car so yuh get he one. Now you doh know wedder he in Scarborough or Montreal. De car smell funny and he start wearin’ cologne like he bade in it. You respeckin’ he privacy so you doh go in he room or look in he bureau. So when Metro’s Finest pull up in front your door, aksin’ if de young man in de back seat of de cruiser is your son, yuh go feel like a cent shave ice. If yuh doh look sharp yuh daughter go be in de cruiser too!

Use yuh head nuh man! Ah know it hard dese days. Dis whole worl’ like a mad house. Bob Marley say yuh don’t know who tuh trust. Marley had prophecy in he chunes. Buh dat chile should be de one yuh could trust wid yuh life, de same way he trus’ his life in your han’.

Yuh not helpin’ yuh girl chile if you an’ she wearing de same clothes. Ah not aksin’ yuh ah telling yuh! You is a big experience woman of forty. She is a CHILE of 16!

You din get yuh first car till you was 30. Why your son in he own car at 16? Yes ah know you din have so yuh want yuh chile to have, but use yuh head nuh? Is not every every ting a chile should have. An’ if you in a position tuh gi’ dem tings den pay attention to what dey doin’ wid it and who sharin’ in it.

Dat boy in Columbine in de US who go een school and blow ‘way people chirren was making pipe bomb in de garage home. Now explain dis ting to me. I have a chile. He in MY garage makin’ bomb and have gun line up in he room which is in MY house an’ I doh know? Is chupid I chupid so? As far as I concern NOBODY who livin’ under my roof and not paying rent have any privacy. I lookin’ inside every blasted drawer and plastic bag! Yuh could clean yuh room but I comin’ to inspeck afterwards.

No chile goin’ to stan’ up dere and tell me no nonsense about privacy and respecking space. I payin’ for your space. What you have dat I cah see? Dem psychologists who tellin’ me I cah give my chile a good calpet in de back’a he head makin’ joke. Look here! If a chile talkin’ like a sailor to me or look to raise dey voice at me in MY house, dey better talk and pack same time!

Some parents does over do it yes. Dey does beat dey chirren an’ dat not right. Some parents doh listen to dere chirren and does only say ‘do as I say not as I do." Dat not right eidda. But yuh cah be yuh chile bes’ fren AND dey parent at dat age. Later on yes but now you have to be de authority.

Ah lie?