The Other Wes Moore

It's back to school time and my daughter has been struggling with all of the changes starting middle school brings.  Those of us who have completed high school know that those can be the best or worst years of your life.  Bodily changes, girl drama, raging hormones and more homework are enough to make anyone want to stay in bed.  Although all of these things can be frightening,  I've tried to explain to her that they are part of life and everyone goes through them.  We are all more alike than different even though we may react to situations differently.

Oprah recently aired a show about two men named Wes Moore.  One was a convicted murderer and the other was a Rhodes scholar who became an army veteran and successful business leader.  They had the same name and were from the same hometown, but had different destinies.  The successful Wes wrote a book, The Other Wes Moore, which chronicles their lives.  They were both raised by single mothers, but the successful Wes also had support from his grandparents.  He started getting into trouble and was sent to military school at age 12.  He then went on to get a college education which opened up doors for him.  The other Wes dropped out of school and got involved with a bad crowd.  He later became implicated in the shooting of a police officer and is sentenced to life in prison.

We all take different paths in life as we get older.  Some people are luckier than others to have a good support system of family, friends or teachers.  The successful Wes made the comment that people never gave up on him.  As I struggle to be a good source of moral support for my daugher,  I am reminded of how we all want to feel loved, safe and secure.  It's up to us though to choose the right path.