Take random pictures of them being free, and confident, and brave,and resilient, and defiant, and beautiful. Take charge of the narrative, at least in your home, so that they can continue to grow without any amount of useless fear dictating their future.
Barnes brothers-ism
BB-ism #2 When Pretty Boy McCoy was in the fourth grade, his teacher flagged me down after school and told me that the eldest Barnes brother had a piss-poor day. He was behaving like a follower, was involved in various scenes of silliness and mischief, or what I would call, ‘unnecessary coonery’,… Continue Reading
My Daddy’s Records #3 “Scar Tissue” Californication
I told you I was going to scroll through the entire vinyl collection, right? Now this is not a “classic” from a chronological sense of the word; it did have a fairly recent release (1999). But from where this album stands in comparison to other rock/pop/funk rock albums, this is one of the Mount… Continue Reading
I Got You- A Lesson In Leadership and Consideration
Brother Solo and Ma Dukes; circa 2011 Barnes brother Solo tagged along with me last week when I took my mother to the eye clinic for a minor procedure. We came early. There were at least eight other people in the room, waiting in silence, reading magazine articles. I read an article in Men’s… Continue Reading
My Daddy’s Records#2 “I Can’t Get Over You”
Today’s installment of My Daddy’s Records was possibly the first R&B record that I remember coveting. I was seven and had heard a little bit of everything up until that point, thanks to Friday night dominoes/spades get-togethers at my mother’s favorite cousin Carrie’s house, or sometimes at my uncle Manny’s. There were three things that I remember most from… Continue Reading
Daddy’s Summer Academic Physical Fitness Get-Right Camp
(Barnes brother Solo #31-circa 2013) Click photo to see “The HILL” I posted this last week on my FB page, but I thought I’d share it again on RTM. Figuring out what to do with the fellas for the summer can be a challenge. Thankfully, I have the flexibility to come up with the kind… Continue Reading
Introducing the MIGHTY
I should start this post off with a prayer. Really. Thank you, God, for this opportunity. I must have done something brave or extremely admirable in my last lifetime in order to receive such a blessing; the… Continue Reading
Derrick Barnes 