Makeba's Column: What it takes to be a parent

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In this week’s column, Makeba Lavan describes her childhood being raised by her godparents. While she says she loved them dearly, she said they often upset her when she was growing up by speaking poorly in front of her about her incarcerated mother. Still, her godparents provided the kind of stability that most children of incarcerated parents severely lacked.

“I feel like I was very blessed to have them,” says Makeba. “A lot of kids, when their parents are incarcerated or are just not there for other issues such as drug issues, a lot of times they don’t have people to look after them.”

In this video column, Makeba also talks about the kind of sense of responsibility young men and woman should have before they consider becoming parents.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: Did someone other than family raise you while a parent was incarcerated? What was your experience in that situation?

[Use the comments feature below or call 646-867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

If you are a child of someone who is incarcerated and you have a question for Makeba, you have three options:

1) Post a question in the comments section below,

2) Send an email to [email protected],

3) Call (646) 867-1891 to leave a message.

Makeba also welcomes questions from others who might simply be interested in knowing more about how the life of children is affected when a parent is incarcerated.

About Sandeep Junnarkar

Sandeep Junnarkar is the founder and editorial director of Family Lives Behind Bars.