Mo’s Childhood
Mo (in the blue) with his younger brother Rob.
My childhood is filled with lots of laughter, great memories, and unforgettable experiences. I grew up in a two-parent home and loving grandparents. I was born in Lansing, Michigan where my dad's side of the family resided. My mother attended Michigan State University in East Lansing, and that is how she met my dad. My mother being from Kalamazoo, Michigan decided to move back to Kalamazoo to be closer to her parents after my younger brother was born.
From an early age, I can remember my mom and dad working hard to provide for us. I think we lived the average middle-class life. As I opened up, my childhood was actually great. I can tell countless stories about family vacations to amusement parks, creating life-lasting brotherhoods, fights, the Boys & Girls Club, and so many more memories. Unfortunately, my childhood has a very dark side to it as well. A side I am okay with talking about now but for many years did not want to accept it.
My father was very sick, probably before I was born. This sickness turned a great man into one who would hurt others. He was an alcoholic. I do my best not to paint my father as a villain. I know he experienced a lot of pain growing up himself. His life was not easy. I am about to tell you some things about him that would directly impact me and by all means, his hardships are no excuse for his behavior.
My father was emotionally and physically abusive to my mother. I remember my mother with bloody noses and bruised eyes. I remember holes being punched in the walls and shattered glass. I remember crying afraid in my room late at night because all you hear is yelling, strong profanity, and loud noises. I will never forget a time when my brother and I were in our rooms at night. All you can hear is my mother yelling saying over and over, “No please stop”. I mustered up enough to confront my dad and I screamed as loud as my 8-year-old voice can scream, “STOP ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT”. My dad had my mom in a corner with a knife in his hand. He told me to shut the **** up and go back to my room. The noise stop and I woke up and hugged my mother.
How do you focus on school living like this? How does any kid survive this type of trauma? Well, that is a complex answer. Let’s just say a whole lot of love and support from your community. This is why I love serving youth. I know young people have secret pain they are holding in and it can feel like no one understands them. My life’s aim is to let youth know they can make. It doesn’t matter how bad their childhood was, there is a way to grow up happy and fulfill your dreams. I know my childhood is nowhere near the worse in the world. The youth I serve may not be going through something of that magnitude but I use my life experience to connect to our youth as very few can. Our pain connects us and through that connection, we can help each other prosper.