I see him growing more and more every day

Waiting till he get on his knees and crawls one day
Hoping for the day I hear his words
“Daddy come on, let’s play.”
Wondering and hoping for his best
Hoping that the day never ends
Watching him grow every day
Making all his little wishes come true
I’ll be by his side no matter what
Because that’s what a dad is meant to do.
Having a child at a young age
Being a dad at a young age isn’t easy there are many challenges
People don’t understand
People are so ignorant
Older people trying to control your child’s life
Telling you what to do and what not to do
They say, “Don’t take him to the doctor, he is okay.”
But am seeing him get worse day-by-day asking myself why didn’t I go
Making decisions for me not asking for my opinion, not taking my word for anything
Then after all this, trying my best to take care of my son then hearing complaints in the back, do this do that
I am trying my best, why do you complain, why can’t you just take a little time to care for him?
Keeping memories of you to show you what we have done together
But don’t forget it is hard to be a dad at fifteen, people are going to tell you it’s harder than what it really is
Don’t worry if you ever go through the same, we’re gonna be here for you the way your grandparents
Were for us
He is my son

So
Why don’t they act like it?

In the Ethnic Studies course called Boyle Heights and Me created by three teachers working for equity and excellence in education, Roxana Dueñas, Jorge Lopez, and Eduardo Lopez, 9th graders at Roosevelt High School engaged in a year of conversation critiquing and challenging what is often accepted as the norm, or “just the way things are.”

This is My Revolution is a collection of honest and inspirational stories that depict the power of transformation and healing that comes from knowledge of self.

Interested in helping students write stories like these? Become a volunteer.