The other day one of my students told me it was his birthday. I gave him a high five and congratulated him. A shy smile crept slowly across his face, as one would expect from a teenager still trying to be macho. It was a joyful celebration and I was happy for him. He seemed to be happy too until I asked him what kind of birthday cake he was going to have.

He told me he wasn’t going to eat cake. I asked her why, and with her smile long gone, she told me that her mother was dating her boyfriend. I felt so sad and so helpless because there was nothing she could do to fix this. All I could do was give the boy a hug, tell him he was sorry, and then try to be the best teacher that boy has ever had!

Parents, I know we all deserve to have some time in our lives without all the parenting responsibilities tugging at our sleeves. But I also firmly believe that, regardless of what may be going on in our lives, it is still a better decision to choose our children over everything else trying to find its way onto our plates on the very night of our children’s birthdays.

Let’s make room on our plates for that delicious birthday cake and that fabulous celebration with our little men, our children. Let’s get the best tasting cake we can find and create delicious memories with our own sounds. I am more than willing and more than happy to eat a delicious cake with my son, and I bet you are too, right? So let’s not let dating get in the way, okay?

Now, as my grandfather always said: “Learn, lead and lead the way to a better world for all of us. Remember, don’t let life get in the way of choosing your child on their birthday. And once again, parents: thank you in advance for everything you do, and everything you will do…