LeoLin Bowen

I was a good girl from the start. Now I am speaking up, setting boundaries, saying no to the things I don’t want and yes to the things that I do.

I am not the only one who is running on this hamster wheel of debt. In 2017 Americans had a revolving debt of $1,022 billion. So, dear debt, it's over!

Inevitably, it happens. A well-meaning (or maybe not so well-meaning) white person will utter the phrase, “Well, I just don’t see color.”

I didn’t see similarities between my mother and I until years later, after I became a mother. The constant conflict hid how my mother and I are alike.

What is different now is that I know who I am and what I want. I’m not afraid to be alone and living single. I value my time and my health.

I call it the look. The slight tilt of the head confused look that people give me when they find out that I am the “weekend” parent.

I knew there was still a culture of fear surrounding black people, but this was the first time I had experienced a person scared of black people.

You are about to embark on a journey that you will be talking about and remembering for the rest of your life, so spend these next year’s enjoying it.

Wonderful son of mine, I am going to let you in on a little secret. Your mother is a liar. In fact, people lie all of the time.