Do you ever wonder how taking pen to paper can help you navigate the tumultuous seas of life? Tune in to our latest podcast episode as we journey with LaQuita Parks, a publisher, author, philanthropist, and motivational speaker who has harnessed the power of writing to overcome personal trauma and empower others. Through her company, Pa-Pro-Vi Publishing, and her mentoring program, 'A Failure 2 Communicate', LaQuita has provided a beacon of hope and inspiration for many young adults who grapple with fears and anxieties.
LaQuita also opens up about her shows that amplify voices and empower women, sharing how being overlooked led her to create platforms for others to share their stories. From her podcasts 'My Heart on Pages' and 'Power of Your Story' to her women’s group 'Exhale', she has created spaces where women can freely discuss their issues and visualize their aspirations. Also, delve into our discussion about the importance of effective communication in relationships and how truth and honesty can make or break them.
Finally, we navigate the complex terrain of teaching children the value of honesty. LaQuita shares her experiences with her mentoring program and how through the power of music and storytelling, she has been able to guide parents and children alike. Her song 'Ouch Lies Hurt' serves as a testament to the potential damage of dishonesty, and a reminder of the importance of guiding our children towards better choices. Join us and get inspired by Laquita's wisdom, passion, and the transformative power of honesty.
Do you ever wonder how taking pen to paper can help you navigate the tumultuous seas of life? Tune in to our latest podcast episode as we journey with LaQuita Parks, a publisher, author, philanthropist, and motivational speaker who has harnessed the power of writing to overcome personal trauma and empower others. Through her company, Pa-Pro-Vi Publishing, and her mentoring program, 'A Failure 2 Communicate', LaQuita has provided a beacon of hope and inspiration for many young adults who grapple with fears and anxieties.
LaQuita also opens up about her shows that amplify voices and empower women, sharing how being overlooked led her to create platforms for others to share their stories. From her podcasts 'My Heart on Pages' and 'Power of Your Story' to her women’s group 'Exhale', she has created spaces where women can freely discuss their issues and visualize their aspirations. Also, delve into our discussion about the importance of effective communication in relationships and how truth and honesty can make or break them.
Finally, we navigate the complex terrain of teaching children the value of honesty. LaQuita shares her experiences with her mentoring program and how through the power of music and storytelling, she has been able to guide parents and children alike. Her song 'Ouch Lies Hurt' serves as a testament to the potential damage of dishonesty, and a reminder of the importance of guiding our children towards better choices. Join us and get inspired by Laquita's wisdom, passion, and the transformative power of honesty.
Welcome, welcome. Welcome to the Listen Linda show. Y'all already know how I do. Give me three minutes.
Speaker 2:I'm a world wide woman. W-w-w. You're like a little girl can take it there.
Speaker 3:I'm a world wide woman, w-w-w, international. No specific area code when the Riston Project homes are overseas on the cobblestone road. I could just about upload what you need in all the essentials. Believe me, I want you looking for who's long and weak Backslash show and see he's baby. I'm a world wide woman W-W-W. You're like an idiot where your girl can take it there. If it's like a Mac, you won't maximize the full potential. Baby, if you connect with me, I'm just like your hot speed cable. Even if you gotta fly to where they drive on the passenger side, I'll be like the auto-car. When you get on you won't know how to let go. What do you think you're gonna do? You got to click right here. Come find me. I'm gonna show you the places you've never been. I'll take you. I'm a world wide woman W-W-W. You're like a little girl can take it there. I'm a world wide woman W-W-W. You know I'm the type of girl I'm a world wide woman W-W-W.
Speaker 3:You're like an idiot where your girl can take it there. You know I'm the type of girl I won't love, like any world wide woman with me. I know you think that can't be. Still got some sort of worry. My world is hard to get. I think just to teach. You feel so damn weird to me? Come, take the lead and join with me. I'm a world wide woman. W-w-w. You're like a little girl can take it there. W-w-w. You know I'm the type of girl. I'm a world wide woman. W-w-w. You're like an idiot where your girl can take it there. W-w-w. You know I'm the type of girl. I'm a world wide woman. W-w-w. You're like an idiot where your girl can take it there. W-w-w. Because I'm the type of girl. I'm a world wide woman. W-w-w. You're like an idiot where your girl can take it there. W-w-w. You're like a little girl. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom.
Speaker 1:I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom. I'm on the floor with my mom was my theme song. Y'all Beyonce, worldwide Woman, because I'm a worldwide woman, globally in 10 countries, 40 different platforms and counting. And today I have a special guest, miss the Queen of Karaoke, herself publisher, author, just all around, philanthropist, motivational speaker, woman of the year. How are you, miss Laquita Park? Say her name.
Speaker 4:Hi Jacqueline, thank you so much for having me here. I am doing well. I can't complain. I could, but who would care?
Speaker 1:Well, we all would care, but that don't mean that it's gonna stop them. The Lord say so, right, so we? I just don't know how I do I just jump right in Always time. We already had a song that should have brought you on in. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna start with prayer and then we're gonna get right into the questions. What do you think about that? I'm good with it. Okay, you ready, Cause you know I got questions.
Speaker 4:I know you got questions girl.
Speaker 1:Okay, dear God, we gather here today with grateful hearts and open minds, seeking guidance and wisdom.
Speaker 1:As we come into this episode, we acknowledge the importance of honesty and truthfulness in our lives, especially when it comes to our interactions with children.
Speaker 1:We ask for your blessings as we engage in conversation, activities and songs that promote the values of honesty and integrity. May our words and actions inspire the young hearts and minds listening to embrace the power of truthfulness. Grant us the patience and understanding to navigate the complexities of teaching children about honesty, and help us find creative and effective ways to convey this message. May this episode be a source of inspiration, learning and growth for all who tune in. We express our gratitude for the opportunity to have this platform to positively impact the lives of children and those who care for them. Guide us throughout this episode and beyond, filling our hearts with love, compassion and an unwavering commitment to truthfulness. In your name, jesus, we pray Amen, amen, all right, mama Quida, you mentioned that writing and sharing your story can be therapeutic. Can you tell us more about your own experience and how it has helped you in your healing process for people who may not know who you are?
Speaker 4:Okay, sure. So first of all, I am LaQuida Parks and I am the CEO and founder of PayProV Publishing, and PayProV is pain, progress, victory, because I believe without pain there's no progress and without progress there can be no victory. So I help people take their stories from a thought to a realization. I am also a coach. I'm also a mentor. I am a woman of God and, like you said earlier, motivational speaker. I love encouraging people. I believe that God has gifted me with several abilities, but one of them is the ability to motivate and inspire. One of the things for me is, when you say writing, and I say writing is therapeutic, I mean that from experience, and oftentimes people speak from a standpoint of what they think they know or what they've heard from somebody else. I typically don't speak from that standpoint. I typically speak from a standpoint of experience. So when I say writing is therapeutic, I'm telling you from my own personal experience. I've gone through a lot.
Speaker 4:For those who your listeners, who don't know my story, I am the victim of medical childhood trauma at the hands of a nurse. So I was four years old when I went into the hospital to have my tonsils removed and I was jabbed in the thigh with a needle and that started a medical tsunami for me that has lasted for the last 50 years of my life and so I don't know a day without pain in 50 years. So I suffer from chronic pain every single day of my life. And so when I started to write, I used to. I call myself a bona fide note taker, because you'll find notes all over the place on I have multiple journals and note pads and in my phone and pieces of paper all over the place. But I like to write and it's therapeutic for me. So when I wrote my first story actually I wrote a simple procedure was actually my first story.
Speaker 4:But when I wrote my whole story medical walking limitations it became therapeutic for me. And as I began to write I began to embrace my condition and understand that what has happened to me was not my fault. It is something that I have to live with, but it's not my fault. But writing helped me to be able to cope with it, not just my medical childhood trauma. It helped me as I went through a ugly, nasty divorce.
Speaker 4:It helped me when my mother and my grandmother died 17 days apart. It helped me when I was at the Mayo Clinic and the doctors told me that, although I was not dying, I was suffering. So it is from a personal standpoint that writing is therapeutic, and I've been able to help people to write their own stories or to write about significant things that have been game changers or traumatic or even happy times in their life. Writing about it. I love writing because it gives you an opportunity to get out what you want to get out without people interrupting you or making you second guess your thoughts, so it has an amazing amount of benefit. So, yes, I believe that writing is truly therapeutic.
Speaker 1:Great answer as the founder of Paypro v Publishing, and a Failure to Communicate what inspired you to start these ventures. How do they tie into your passion for people's well-being?
Speaker 4:So a Failure to Communicate mentoring program. I started that several years ago, back in actually 1999, actually, and I used to do communication coaching and I used to coach communication. I used to coach couples and I would set up these sessions where it would be couples and I would be like, before you say I do, before you pop the question, have a conversation with me. And I would do these convocations. And so I used to take my children, my daughter, my youngest daughter, with me for labor, she and her friends you know how we do with those kid laborers, right and she would go travel with me to do these events, for these coaching relationship events. And so I remember traveling back in town one day after a really successful event, and she asked, she said, mama, can you do one of these for my friends? And I was like, what about your friends? And so she started talking to me and I was like, ok, well, what kind of things are you wanting to do? What are you looking for? And we just started talking. And at that time she was in like 10th or 11th grade and we started talking and I said, ok, well, what kind of things are you wanting to do? So she had a couple of her friends come over and I sat and talked to them and I realized that these young people have a lot of different fears that they don't necessarily share with adults. So I had an event at my house with 17 of her friends, male and female, and it was no-holes barred. They were able to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about, and a lot of the things they talked about was what do we do when we graduate from high school? So in 12th grade, a lot of the pressures is where are you going to go to college? Well, there were some of them that didn't feel like they were college material, they didn't want to go to college and they had no idea. Some of them had parents who were telling them when you turn 18, you got to get out of my house and I'm like I disagree with that, because you're going to turn your 18-year-old out into the world when you haven't given them the necessary skills that they need. What are they going to do? And then some of them were being pressured to have sex. So we started talking and then I realized that I needed to change my focus a little bit, and that's when a failure to communicate was born.
Speaker 4:With beauty redefined. It was just girls at first, just beauty redefined, and it was redefining the beauty of the inside. So we have people who, especially young people, they struggle with their identity If I'm light, if I'm too light, I'm not beautiful. If I'm too dark, if my hair is not straight, if my hair is too kinky, if my hair is too long, my hair is too short. If I'm too big, if I'm too little, I'm too short, I'm too tall. So I thought it was important to start teaching young people, young ladies, the beauty of loving themselves from the inside out. And communication. A failure to communicate was because we have a failure to communicate, whether it's with our sales, whether it's with our spouse, whether it's with our parents, whether it's with our teachers. So a failure to communicate was born.
Speaker 4:And then, as the years progressed, in 2020, after going to the Mayo Clinic and the doctor said hey, while you're not dying, you are suffering. By that time, I published a couple of books of my own and I had people saying, hey, how'd you do that? So, while I was at the Mayo Clinic, I started publishing other people's books and I was like hey, I'm at the Mayo Clinic, you guys need to be asking me, can you help me? But I didn't say that. I said that to myself. But I didn't say it. But I did. I published a couple of books at the Mayo Clinic and I found that it took my mind off of what was going on with me. So it then helping other people tell their stories became another piece of the puzzle for me, and it was therapeutic as well.
Speaker 4:So now I incorporate the publishing with young people and the mentoring that I continue to do with young people, helping them take their stories from a thought to a realization. Except for it's a little different with young people. I love the creative process, I love hearing what they have to say and I love doing it. Because sometimes it's parents. It's difficult to work with your own child because they are like okay, they feel like I gotta listen to what mom says. Yes, you do, but I want them to be creative. So it's easier for me to work with the young people than their parents, and then I kinda like to show the parents the finished product. So it's incorporating Pay-Pro-V Publishing with helping young people to get that creative juices flowing and to become published authors with their own original content. It's a win-win for me.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and you doing an awesome job, awesome, awesome, awesome job. If you guys don't know, if you're new to this show or if you're just now tuning in, laquita has not only published books for me actually two books, and I'm on one anthology that she's the publisher on. She's actually published one from my husband, one on the way from him, and he's in the anthology of hers as well, and then she's publishing both of my kids' books. So we love the Koch family, loves Ms Laquita Parks and Pay-Pro-V and the whole Pay-Pro-V team, and I am also a part of the Pay-Pro-V team. I'm on the payroll y'all. So you know this is a biased look, but I am owned, I am in the commercial, okay, so I'll move it right to the next question. Now you host your own podcast show, my Heart on Pages and the Power of your Story radio show. How have these platforms allowed you to amplify the voices and stories of others, and what impact have you seen as a result?
Speaker 4:Well, you asked some amazing questions and I appreciate them. What started out as me seeking opportunities to have my clients to share their stories? It became me starting my own shows Because I would ask people, I would see people, you know, if I'm looking for guests for my show, and I would push. You know, hey, here I am. You know, kind of like the guy who says, here I am, use me. And I felt like I kept getting overlooked. I was not what they were looking for. You know, sometimes we get caught up in people who have been in the business for you know, for years, and they have all this time and all this celebrity status under their belt that we tend to overlook them and we tend to overlook that they have some amazing content and it only takes one. You know what I'm saying. So I felt like I was looking, I was being overlooked and I, you know, had people. Oh, you can't. You know you're, we're competitors, and I got various things and I started to get discouraged and I was like you know what? No, I'm not gonna get discouraged, I'm gonna start my own thing. So I got tired of waiting for people to invite me to their table, so I created my own table and then I started inviting them and I started with my clients. So Paypro V not only publishes their story, but we also give them a space to tell that story to you know.
Speaker 4:Talk about the why, and that's what. That's what my heart on pages is. My heart on pages talks about the why behind the story. What made you write this book? Where did the title of this book come from? How you know who's your audience, what do you expect to happen as a result of you publishing this book? And then, with the power of your story?
Speaker 4:I don't necessarily interview just authors. With my heart on pages it's just authors, but the power of your story it's anybody who has a story that's motivational, encouraging. I wanna talk to you. I wanna know you know what you've gone through. How are you making a difference in this world with your story and helping them to understand that there is power in your story? Because we all have a story. 100% of everybody living and dead has a story and that story is helping somebody else when we share it. It's helping somebody else to get to that next level, to get to the next step, whatever that next step might be. It might be, you know, going out on your own and starting that business. It might be getting out of that abusive relationship. It might be making the steps to have that surgery you've been putting off. That's kind of better your life. It may be telling that grown child that's been living in your house for 40 years it's time for them to get up and get out and get to going. So, whatever your it is, it's what's helping them.
Speaker 3:Don't look at me, de mammals, don't look at me. Every day is so wonderful, wonderful, and suddenly it's hard to breathe. Now and then I get insecure from all the pain, but so ashamed. I am beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can't bring me down. I am beautiful in every single way. Yes, words can't bring me down. Oh no, oh, oh. So don't you bring me down today To all your friends. You're delirious, so concerned and all alone, trying hard to fill the emptiness. The peace is gone. Let the puzzle undone and die the way it is. You are beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can't bring you down. Oh no, oh oh. You are beautiful in every single way. Yes, words can't bring you down. Oh no, oh, oh.
Speaker 3:So don't you bring me down today, no matter what we do. No matter what we do, no matter what we say yeah, yeah, oh yeah. And everywhere we go, I wish, I wish I was gone. I want to be my own baby. I want to be your best friend. We are beautiful, no matter what they say. Yes, words can't bring me down. We are beautiful no matter what we'll say yes, what won't bring us down? Oh no, we are beautiful in every single way. Yes. What can't bring us down? No, no, we are beautiful in every single way. What can't bring us down? Oh, no, don't you bring it down today. Oh, yeah, don't you bring it down today. Yeah, no, don't you bring it down today.
Speaker 1:Yes, that was Christina Aguilera with Beautiful. And then I second those lyrics. Ms Laquita, tell the audience how do you feel those lyrics pertain to your message or correlate with your message that you're sending with your a failure to communicate beauty, redefine and pay probie.
Speaker 4:Girl. You know what's so funny? When I did my very first, when I did my very first event with young ladies, that's the song, that was the theme you are beautiful. And I played that song. I set up a set it up and the girls were able to come in. I had clothes. I had clothes from every size, from a zero to a four X, and the kids were able to come in. They got facials, they got makeovers, they were able to shop off of the racks and it was amazing and that was a song because I wanted them to know that it does not matter what you look like on the outside.
Speaker 4:You are beautiful. Because if you, if you look good on the outside and you start opening your mouth and you start acting not beautiful, it's got to come out. Your outward appearance is not going to matter. People are going to see that inward appearance. So I love that song because that's like one of my favorite songs and it says you are beautiful, I am beautiful, and don't you bring me down today. So you don't let people bring you down, and that's something that I love talking to young ladies about Don't allow people to dictate how your day is going to go. Don't let somebody tell you you're not beautiful because you don't look a certain way or you don't look according to what they feel like you should look like. So that's a that. That's an amazing song, one of my absolute favorites.
Speaker 1:I knew already. I knew already. That's why I'm playing. I knew it. Okay, but through your social communication group, exhale, you facilitate discussions on various issues. Can you share some examples of how these conversations have empowered and supported women in their personal and political journeys?
Speaker 4:Oh my goodness, Exhale yes, exhale is a group that I created back in the 90s. It's been more than 20 plus years. Exhale is a is a group, is a social group for women, women of color, and it's not one of those male bashing groups. It's a group where you can just we meet monthly and I have a different theme every month. And when I started exhale, it was more where we would have a different topic and the ladies would come and you know they would air out whatever they were wanting to air out. And we had a session called questions and answers. Men and women get the answers to the questions they asked. And it was like, you know, because we always had well, what, why do men this and why do me? And that is like, okay, well, I don't know, you have to ask the man. So we had every woman to invite a man. Well, they came, and then it seemed like every meeting they were coming and that was not my intention. It was not supposed to be a dating group and I stopped doing it and I stopped doing the meetings for a while until I could revamp it in the way that I originally intended it. So I did, and what I did this time is that I selected a certain, a certain, a certain amount of women to be a part of it for a whole year.
Speaker 4:It was what goes on in exhale, stays in exhale. We would take pictures, but they were never posted. You'll never see me post a picture with Excel. They were never posted because I wanted it to be a safe space. There was always Kleenexes on every end of the room and we did topics like like Daddy's girl, and that Daddy's girl was because, as women, we, some of us, have daddy issues and we talked about what are those daddy issues? We talked about being, you know, talked about depression, and how is it that, you know, we're able to keep the smile on our face, but in the midst of excuse me, everything that we're going through, we're breaking inside. We're too strong to cry when we need to cry, we talk about, you know, what are you doing for yourself. You know we do things for everybody all the time and oftentimes we're the last person on the list. We don't take care of ourselves first. We take care of ourselves sometimes as an afterthought. So that's something that I'm having to learn my own self. So with exhale, it was a, it's a platform and it's a place, it's an opportunity for women to come and tap into that inner person. And you know we did, we did vision boards. But you know I'm a little different, so we did vision boards differently. You know, we had them on art shaped pieces. It wasn't on a book, it was all these different, you know, different kinds of wood and people came in and they were able to, you know, put together their vision of what it.
Speaker 4:What is it that you like to do? What is it that you like to do? One of the ladies like to garden. So I'm not, I have a purple thumb, I have 10 purple fingers but she came and she planted a garden for me in my backyard and she comes over here and she takes care of that garden. I mean, I got collard greens and it's beautiful Exhale gives, gives women up once a month and it's only. You can't, you can't invite anybody, you can't bring a friend. It's not one of those. But when you come, you know that it's a safe space and you have those women who are going to embrace you and love you and hug on you and until the next time I've had women as saying I'm not coming back. Every time I come I'm crying and then they'll call me saying so when is the next meeting? So it's, it's, it's been. You know it's been going on for 20 plus years now and you know the cove it kind of threw us off a little bit. But you know we're slowly revamping that back together.
Speaker 1:I love that, I love that and I'm going to incorporate myself. So the next time y'all join. Just I'm inviting myself, so you might as well get me on the FaceTime to messenger or the zoom, because I want to be a part of Excel. So I invite myself to do a virtual exhale.
Speaker 4:I might look at doing a virtual exhale for people that.
Speaker 1:That'd be a good show. Well, I mean a good, a good, a good group. Yeah, right people, but you're a good judge. Absolutely. So she's like this girl already started already. You know Linda about to get ready and come out. Now it's about to get dark outside. So, as a relationship communication coach and mentor, what common challenges do you see individuals facing in their relationships, because I know you talked about there earlier, so I just want to touch back on that a little more, and what strategies do you recommend for effective communication and connection?
Speaker 4:One of the things, one of the biggest things, and not just in relationships, it's period, it's communication. You know, we get into. We get into a habit of thinking that it's in relationships. We get into a habit of thinking that he should know or she should know how I feel she should know, he should know, and so, with with our relationships, you get into a situation of, well, I don't want to, I don't want to hurt this person's feelings or I don't want to say what needs to be said, and sometimes we walk on eggshells because of that. So communication is definitely the biggie and with that, one of the things I do is we talk.
Speaker 4:One of the things that I love doing, especially with couple communication, is always started out with how did we get here? And and that's that's, how did we meet? You know, let's go back to a time when things were good. Let's go back to a time when you were walking down the street or you walked in the store you want somewhere with your buddy or you was out somewhere you might have been at the club or wherever it is and you looked across the room and you met this fine. You saw this fine pair pair eyes, or this like okay, I need to know her, or some handsome guys like I need to know him. So how did you feel then? And then when you got together, and then when you became exclusive, and then when you got married or when you became exclusive with each other, how did that feel? And then we go back to that time and then, when things start to fall apart, it's like the communication stops. You know, you stop communicating, you stop doing what it was you did when you first met you. You go into the bathroom and he leaves the seat up and you're mad because he left the seat up. We're not really mad because he left the seat up. That's just the icing on the cake. You know, that's the star that broke the camel's back. So you have to communicate. You cannot assume. Even if you know somebody for 20 years, you can't assume that they know. You can't assume that they know how you feel.
Speaker 4:I had a friend and she was upset. It was something that happened Valentine's Day and she wanted. She didn't get what she wanted and my question was you know, did you tell him? Well, he should have known. And I was like, well, I didn't know. He was psychic, how should even know? Did you sell him. And so I do this thing. And, jacqueline, I know you probably heard this before Men are like waffles, women are like spaghetti, and that is very, very true.
Speaker 4:And that just means when you think about spaghetti, what happens with spaghetti? Spaghetti is in a box, right, and when you take the spaghetti out of the box, it's just you know it's spaghetti. You can drop them like pickup sticks. However, when you cook, the spaghetti is what happens? It just intertwines all over the place. When you put that spaghetti on the plate into twice, it's all connected, it's all going everywhere.
Speaker 4:But what about waffles? Waffles are compartmentalized. So when you see waffles, waffles are individuals. So you got waffles, and that's how men think they're.
Speaker 4:They compartmentalize, they're in boxes, they're thinking of something, they're thinking of this, and as women, we have the habit of wanting to talk to me and while they're in one of their boxes, and so we can do multiple things at a time. You know that, jackie, we can, we can like, like. Now you and I are doing this and and I'm back and forth in the kitchen, you know washing chicken, putting food on the on the oven, checking email, you know looking at the text to see who's called, all while I'm having a conversation. You know, men, if you're watching, we can be watching TV and working at the same time. If men are doing one thing, they're doing one thing and we have the habit of coming in and talk to how many women. Come in and talk to the men while they're watching the game and then get upset when afterwards and say, well, I told you this, you didn't hear nothing you said, because they're focused on that one thing and it's all about communicating and how we communicate.
Speaker 4:So one of the things that I that I push is effective communication. How is it that you like to communicate and you don't know that until you meet somebody, you start asking questions. You know, sometimes we get into these relationships and we haven't asked enough questions, so you got to ask these questions. You got to ask all these questions that you need to ask before you get deeply involved with somebody. And then you communicate. You keep communicating. Don't close the doors of communication and that way and I'm not saying don't get angry, because we all get angry, but they need to know why you're angry. You know, don't make them, don't and that's, that's for him or her. Don't make them try and figure out what's going on in your mind because, as good as we can be, sometimes we are not mind readers.
Speaker 3:The way the world is. We've reached a climax. We're together now. We're undone. We'll commit. So we choose to run away. Do we separate? Oh, I give it all. We both gave up. Can't take it back, it's too late, it's too far away, falling somehow feet off the ground. Love is the blood that keeps raining down. Where are you now when I need you around? I hold my knees, but it sings with us. The way the world is. We've reached a climax. We're together now. We're undone. We'll commit. So we choose to run away. Do we separate? Oh, I give it all. We both gave up. Can't take it back. It's too late, it's too far away.
Speaker 5:I gave my best. It wasn't enough. You can't upset. We argue too much. We made a mess. We used to be love, so why do I care? I care at all at all at all at all.
Speaker 3:The way the world is. We've reached a climax. We're together now we're undone. We'll commit. So we choose to run away. Do we separate? Oh, I give it all. We both gave up. Can't take it back, it's too late, it's too far away. We choose to say it's better if we love each other separately. I just need you one more time. I can't get what we had on my mind. Where are you now when I need you around? I hold my knees, but it sings with us. The way the world is. We've reached a climax. We're together now we're undone. We'll commit. So we choose to run away. Do we separate? Oh, I give it all. We both gave up. Can't take it back, it's too late, it's too far away.
Speaker 1:Yes, that was Usher with Climax. Tell me, mama Quida, how does that song relate to not just Excel but your communication, counseling and everything as a whole?
Speaker 4:Well, he said it all we're going nowhere fast and that's that's the whole thing. When there is a lack of communication, it's like you're, it's like you're peddling on cement. You know you're not going anywhere. You're not in the war, you're not going where, you're not moving and you're going nowhere fast. You're sinking quickly Because you're not communicating and that's that's. That's a that's a good way to put it.
Speaker 4:I like that song, I like music. So I don't like all music, but I like it. I like most music and so, and so it's the whole thing. When you're when there's a lack of communication, you know it's an effort, it's an effort and fertility. You're not going anywhere and it has to be two people communicating. You know you, ever, you, ever. My mama used to say the more I teach you, the drama I get my mama was real fun. She was like OK, she had a problem with having to repeat things over and over again and it's like I just told you that, I just told you that. So it's kind of like you're talking to your children and you keep telling them the same thing and they just keep doing what they want to do. So I like that. We're going nowhere fast. We he's just saying we're going nowhere fast, we've reached the climax. Hey, there's nowhere else to go.
Speaker 1:Didn't he say that song girl, you know I'd be having a fast for my mom, a quickie, because is she she's a tough cook in a crack when it comes to music. You got to be very particular about the songs you pick in the verbiage in the song. So you know I had to make sure I picked the right ones. I had to make sure I'm here to write one. Now you're doing good. I'm learning, girl, I'm learning. Now. Your degree in business and years of experience and mentoring and communication coaching sessions have undoubtedly provided valuable insights. So have you seen these sessions positively impact individuals and communities, and what advice would you give someone seeking to improve their own communication skills?
Speaker 4:Well, you know what that's. That's funny. I have, I think I've done a lot of success in it. I remember when it starts out, you know me and I want to do it. I remember when I first, when I, when I started doing the programs and I would give the men and the women, everybody got their separate material so they wouldn't have to share. And I remember this one occasion where the women were, okay, we're going to this thing, and they had to get the buy in from the husbands.
Speaker 4:We're going to this thing, and the first week and it's a five, usually five or six weeks depending on the topics that we're doing and I remember the man and it's always like this I don't want to go to this, you dragging me to this, and when they come in, you know you could tell from the posture that this is not really what they want to do. But they're doing this because you know their spouse or their, you know their, their mate, their, their, you know fiance or girlfriend or whatever, has, you know, railroaded them, so to speak, into this. But after that first session, the rest of the sessions, the men are like come on, we're going to be late, we're going to be late. And when they get here they'd be like, okay, she made us late. So they embrace that. Because you know it's not. It's not where it's accusing anybody or it's not male bashing, it's actually getting down to your communication. And the point of the matter is do you want to strengthen your relationship? And you know a lot of men do. They want to strengthen their relationship, and so it's it's. It's been very rewarding and so my advice is to continue.
Speaker 4:How did we get here? Don't forget that. Don't lose sight of who you are, because life is going to happen. You know people are going to come in between and you know you have raggedy people that come in between relationships. So, with that one and and another thing and I know Dr D, you know she I hadn't been married. No, 30 years I'm the. You know that's not my story. Unfortunately I was married, but that's why that's how I can talk about the communication part, because we didn't have that. But if you want to, you know you want to strengthen your relationship. Look, husband and wife, quit telling folks about your business. Quit telling girls ladies. Quit telling your friends about your personal relationship with your husband. Husband, quit telling your boys about your wife. And here's the thing. Husbands and wives. If you have friends, that you're why that your mates can't be a part of, and that's not a friendship you need to have. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Speaker 5:If you love me Like you say you do, then why baby Do you do need like you do? Ain't no love Like a real? If you don't want me baby, if you don't need me baby, then the Set you free. If you want me Like you say you do, stop this foolish woman. Let us do what we gotta do. Ain't no love Like a real. And if you don't want me baby and if you don't need me baby, then the true. Where I was, set you free. No baby, don't you know? Well, I love you With all of my heart and my soul.
Speaker 3:And all baby If you should leave me baby, leave me baby, if you should leave me.
Speaker 5:If you love me Like all you say, you do Love me baby.
Speaker 3:Love me baby Without a father too.
Speaker 5:Ain't no love Like a real love. If you don't want me, baby, and if you don't need me baby, then the true when I was set you free. Well, it'll set you free, woman. All you gotta do is tell daddy no, love me no more. All you gotta do is tell me that you don't want me. And the truth was set you free. Ain't no need to hide no more. Uh huh, you know I don't want to hide open. The truth is set you free. You know what I'm trying to say. But I'm still human, baby. I've got feelings for you, but if you don't want me, I can't make you stay alive.
Speaker 2:You're meant to keys? Do you need gas money, woman, the truth was.
Speaker 5:Set you free All you gotta do is tell me and I won't worry you, no more. No, the truth was set you free. The truth was set you free.
Speaker 3:The truth was set you free, ain't no need to hide, no more, ain't no need to hide.
Speaker 1:Now, that was Mr Bobby blue, bland with the truth. Just set you free. Tell me, mama Cuitor, what you think about it.
Speaker 4:Well, you know, went all the way back to Bobby blue. Bland went to what a minute girl. Listen, he didn't lie, he went, he went, he went. Biblical right then, because that's what the Bible say the truth will make you free. So he ain't telling a lot of things. In all things, relationships in period, just have a truth, it'll make you free if you have too much guilt from it. So I love it. I love that Bobby blue, bobby blue brand. I got a whole lot of folk in trouble.
Speaker 1:Didn't get a lot of trouble.
Speaker 4:He got a lot of people in trouble. But it's the truth though. The truth will set you free and that's the, that's the whole thing. You know you, my, my grandma used to say if you tell one lie, you got to tell another lie to make up that lie. And if you just tell the truth, you know everybody not going to receive it, but that's okay. You don't have to tell another lie to cover that lie and that lie. And in all things you know, god wants us to be honest and sometimes, you know, say it's okay to tell a little white lie. When is it okay to tell a little white lie? You know a lie is a lie, right, they don't have a heaven and a hell for lying and not lying. You know this place over here is for the little white liars and this place over here is for the ones that told the truth are the big liars. You know red is a red lie, black lie, green lie. You know it's just not right. So I love that. Your your music choices on point.
Speaker 1:That's what they call me the music choice of that's on point. Look, kim, go give me what is music choice of. That's not in the dictionary, right, right.
Speaker 4:Oh yeah, she's gonna be, she's gonna be a delicious.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you got a book out now that calls out lies her, and it's a powerful tool to teach children about the importance of honesty. Can you share a personal experience with inspirations that led you to write this book and create a song to accompany it?
Speaker 4:Well, I wrote it because, you know, I have five grandchildren and I have four grandchildren under the age of five and children. You know they start lying early and they don't understand it. They, you know, they tell lies for whatever reason. You know, I don't want to get in trouble or, you know, for whatever the reason. I remember my son, when my son was younger man, he was just lying like, okay, wait a minute, but no reason, and so it's just something that children do and sometimes they don't grow out of it. Children, grown people become I mean children become grown people who tell your lies. And so I wanted to, you know, to write my.
Speaker 4:The whole premise behind my mentoring program is helping parents, help their children make better choices, and sometimes people, it's like, you know, why are you doing this? Well, I have grandchildren, so I don't have children in school, I don't have my, my, my children are adults. So I just got grandchildren within the last four or five years and I've been doing, I've been doing this for 20 plus years and my, my children my youngest child is 20, is just turned 28 or 29 things, 29. And so this isn't for me. So basically, it's kind of, you can kind of say I didn't really have any skin in the game. And now that I have grandchildren you know their homeschooled, my daughters created a curriculum for their children to be, you know, to be taught at home, and so my goal is to help meet those needs, not just with my grandchildren but with other children. So Ouch Lies Hurt is a simple book for children so that they can get it and they can understand. Children understand ouch and they know they. They can connect ouch with pain or hurt, and so Ouch Lies Hurt is to help young children understand that ouch lies hurt. It hurts like if I, if I, slam my finger in the door or if, if I, if I cut myself, or if you know, you know the. The whole thing is, you know you're getting party training. They slam the finger down on the. You know the Camole, it. So ouch, if they touch something, touch the, the stove, and it's hot, ouch, you know they. Somebody steps on your toe, ouch. So Ouch Lies Hurt just kind of made sense for me and you know, and the song came because I love music. So I'm always humming something, always making up this little stuff with my children, my grandbabies, and they, they love it.
Speaker 4:I remember when my granddaughter, my two, she's two now. When her mom left her with me for the first time, she would not go to sleep. She was like, okay, I don't know who this lady is, I think she Nana. I don't know what this Nana stuff is, but my mommy is not here and I'm not going to sleep. And she must have been maybe four months old, I guess. And I was just, you know, shaking and patting her and you know, and I just started saying you want to go to sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep. Come on, come on, go to sleep, sleep. Baby girl, you want to want to go to sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep. And I kept seeing that. And you know, you want to want to go to sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep. And before I knew it she had gone to sleep.
Speaker 4:And so my other granddaughter, when she was fussing, I would call her mom and her mom would have us on the FaceTime and she would be fussing and I would say you want to want to go to sleep? Sleep, right here, girl, come on, come on, go to sleep, sleep. And she was, you know, start going to sleep. My door is like okay, if she wake up, I'm calling you back. So then my children started singing. They started singing those songs like that's that was. The kids will look at their parents like that's Nana song. So without last hurt, you know, I started just kind of out out lies really hurt and it took off from there. Am I supposed to keep talking? Good morning boys and girls. My name is Miss Laquita and I'm going to sing a song with you and it's called Ouch lies hurt. Now I'm going to sing it first and then I would like for you to sing along with me. Okay, all right, here we go.
Speaker 3:Oh, my God.
Speaker 4:Now can you sing along with me? All right, here we go. Ouch lies really hurt Ouch lies really hurt.
Speaker 3:Ouch lies really hurt.
Speaker 4:Ouch lies really hurt.
Speaker 1:Yes, that was Laquita Park, without last hurt. I love it. Thank you, you know that was coming today. It's my surprise. You know it was in the play.
Speaker 4:That's a very nice surprise. I appreciate it. Thank, you?
Speaker 1:Okay, can you dissect that song and just tell people where was your mind space when you wrote the song, though, like when you actually sat down? So you know what? I'm going to write this song and I'm going to record it and I'm going to put this single out there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, just riding in the car. I was riding in the car and I was just kind of humming as I do and you know I was singing something and like lies really hurt and they make people cry. Please, boys and girls. I was like okay. And so the funny thing is I met the guy that did the music. His name is Frank Frank Trock, and I went to, I did I had to do a mock trial and I met. You know, I was there for all day and I met this guy and he was we were part of this jury, and so you know, just kind of going around and and you know I was like, hey, what are you doing? He was saying I'm a musician. I was like okay, and I was like, hey, you know, I'm always looking for, you know me, I'm always looking for people to add to my team, because I want to, I want pay pro V to be a one stop shop. You know, I want you to be able to say, hey, I need this. And it's like, okay, you know what? I know somebody. I don't want you to have to go and find it and it doesn't work all the time, but you know it's like, okay, hey, I need a content creator. Hey, I know one. Here's Jacqueline, she's a content creator. So you know we were talking and he was like you know him, a musician.
Speaker 4:I was like, well, do you record music? Because I also have. I have some I published for people who have written songs. I just recently put published a book for guy who it was his own original songs and he, he doesn't have music to put music to him. He's looking for somebody to put music to him.
Speaker 4:And so, you know, I connected with Frank and then out last hurt came up and I was like you know what? I want to put this to music. And so I was like, oh, frank. So I called him and he, you know he lives local, he's in the area, and you know he invited me. I sent him the lyrics and I saw and I was like, okay, this is the, this is what I kind of had in mind. And it took him less than a week to come up with the music and I went over here inviting me over to the studio and he recorded the music off of my voice and and he added, added a little of you know, and that's all the original music and he's playing all the instruments and it just worked and I was like, love it, love it and it's very catchy.
Speaker 4:So I wanted something, because kids, kids, like, like music, so I wanted something that was catchy. And so who did? Who is my audience? I introduced the song to my grandchildren and every time those kids see me they start singing out slides her, out that the two year old and the one year old they don't know how to say all the words, but you know they sing and out slides her.
Speaker 4:And at the end of it, before they finish, you know, lies really hurt and they make people cry. Please, boys and girls, don't tell a lie. And before I could get the word lie they, yeah, and they're clapping their hands. And that's the, that's what I, that's what I want. And even even grown people, his, his wife, came down and she was like, she was like I, like that is very catchy. And she said she found herself up in the kitchen cooking and saying ouch, ouch, lies really hurt because it's a catchy. It's a catchy tune and you know and I appreciate you, jacqueline, for sharing it on your platform because it gets you know, it's recorded, it's on, you know, download when people purchase the book, they can download the, the sing along and you know the goal is for people to hear it. So you know the. If hey, I'm like, if they can say baby shark, do, do, do, do, do. They can say ouch, ouch. Lies really hurt. So I appreciate you for sharing it on your platform.
Speaker 1:My pleasure we be singing that song all up and through this house over here and it is catchy. The book emphasizes the impact of lies on people's emotions. How do you think children can better understand the emotional consequences of their actions and develop more empathy empathy towards others.
Speaker 4:You know what that's important. I appreciate that question. One of the things that I wanted to do with the book. I wanted children to be able to relate and understand, so I didn't want complicated graphics. So children understand it was a new thing emojis so they understand facial expressions. They understand the, the smile. They understand the frown. They understand the tears. So outslides hurt. I use emojis for the characters in the book and I use, you know, enlarged emojis. So you have the huge. You know you have the huge facial. You have the. You know the book is in.
Speaker 4:The song is a little different from the book because you know, without slice heard, it tells you. You know when you tell lies you don't have friends who want to play with you. You know outslides hurt. You know you can't run and play in the sun. You know you have to bury lies like you know buried lies like you bury, I mean buried lies in the dirt, like you play in the dirt. You got to bury those lies in the dirt.
Speaker 4:So the book goes on and say, hey, you know what. You can have friends if you tell lies. You know lies hurt, lies make you sick and the lies make you want to cry and so lies make you not have friends, people don't want to talk to you, and so I wanted to emphasize that and that's that's the same empathy like if you hurt somebody, who wants to play with somebody who hurts them, who wants to be with somebody who hurts them. And I wanted to give little children that understanding that when you tell lies it's not good. And so if you get it at an early age, my goal was to start to get it before you know, instill it in them before the seam and harden, so to speak. So I wanted I wanted to kind of emphasize it and I thought that you know the big emojis and it's very colorful and the music put together would kind of emphasize, a kind of nail it into them.
Speaker 1:It definitely caught my attention and it definitely caught my, my children's attention especially do. I was calling you early because I'm like I cannot find this book. Where's this book? Doofson took the book to school and then show all the people at school to book. So the book is at school.
Speaker 1:So I just had to go off of what I remember and what I read because I was trying to call you to see if I can get you know the book and because he done took the book, girl, and he said and I asked him for the, he said that's his book. So that's that. On that, that goes to show you what impact it has on kids. Because he ain't giving it up, girl, we didn't gave me that book. I said, all right, it says some marvelous. I said, okay, okay, we get it, we get it, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it. Children, the value of truth can be challenging. What strategies or activities besides the book Do you recommend for parents and educators to help children differentiate between truth and lies and encourage them to always choose honesty?
Speaker 4:Well, one of the things and I love the way that my, my daughters they have, and their, their, their kids are very small. So you know they're, they range from one to four, and so they they nip it in a minute. And so when I was, when my children were growing up, you know I did not, I didn't tell my children. You know you're telling a story because stories are fairy tales. They are, you know, cinderella and you know the three, the, you know little red riding hood and three little bears. Those are stories, and if you're telling a story, you're telling something from a book. But if you're telling the lie, that's not right, it's made up. And so I remember, I remember when my son, my son would do something, or the kids, I would say you know, if you tell the truth, I can't guarantee that you won't get in trouble, but I can guarantee you that you will have trouble, like only I can give, if you tell a lie. And the difference in it is when children tell a lie and you know, when they're old enough and they start to get it. When they tell a lie to use is to cover up something that they've done, that they know that they were not supposed to do and so, first of all, sitting down with them when they're young, don't let them get away with it. It's kind of like stealing when you you know some people think it's, you know it's a little over the top, but it isn't. When they go in the store, you know they have the every, all these things on the end cap and it's inviting and they put it there to make people buy it before they walk out the store. Well, little hands, you know, will grab a little candy or whatever. Often you get in the car and before you know it, the child got a toy and you like where you get that from. And you know, when they know not to lie, they'll say they got it from the store. Well, the job of the job of the parent is not to say it's okay. The job of the parent is to take that child back in the store and give it back to the store because they didn't pay for it and then let them know it's not okay.
Speaker 4:So when you're lying, when you know, when you know that your child is lying and you see that they understand you you first have to let them know it isn't right. This is, this is the lie. This is the difference between the lie and the truth, and you have to follow through on punishment. Let them know that it isn't right to tell a lie and explain it, explain how it feels, and you have to sometimes. You have to let them know, well, you know, does it hurt when? When, mommy, when you get a spanking? Or does it hurt when? Do you remember when mommy, you know, cut her hand, cut her finger? Yes, and when children have empathy, you know they come over and you know, jacqueline, when you don't feel well, your baby comes over and he's, you know, kind of patting you and you can tell that he has empathy because mommy doesn't feel well.
Speaker 4:When they tell a lie is like that hurts. Remember when mommy didn't feel good. This is what happens when you lie doesn't feel good and you hurt that person. And so you have to, you have to figure out your way. Everybody has a different method of teaching, but what you cannot do is let it go, because one little lie you get, you know, one little lie turned into another little lie. And so, especially when they feel like they've gotten away with it, what happens when you feel like you've gotten away with something? You keep doing it because you think nobody has noticed. So you have to nip it, like Barney five say nip it, nip it, nip it. You have to nip it, but you have to.
Speaker 4:It's all about communication. You have to continue to talk to them and say, no, this is not what we do and that's what my children do. My daughter's like no, this is, we don't do that. You know, this is what we do. We don't do this because it's not right. Did you lie? And they let them know the difference. This is a lie. This is not telling the story. This is not. Hey, I was playing. No, this is. This is lying. This is what lion is. Explain it to them. What's the definition of lion? This is acceptable behavior. This is unacceptable behavior and stick to it.
Speaker 5:And it just wouldn't be right.
Speaker 3:I will always be the girl in my life, for all time. Mama, mama, you know I love you. Mama, mama, you're the queen of my heart. Your love is right here, from the start. This is my mind, is what you to know. Loving you is like food to my soul. Yes, it is, yes, it is.
Speaker 5:You're always down for me, have always been around for me, even when I was bad. You showed me right from my wrongs. Yes, you did, and you took up for me when everyone was down to me. You always did understand. You gave me strength to go on.
Speaker 3:There were so many times looking back when I was so afraid, and then you come to me and say to me I could face anything and no one else can do what you've done for me. You'll always be, you will always be the girl in my life. Mama, mama, you know I love you. You know I love you. You know I love you, mama. Mama, you're the queen of my heart. Your love is right here from the start. Your love is right here from the start, mama. I just want you to know.
Speaker 3:Mama, I just want you to know loving you is like food to my soul. I'm never gonna go one day without you. It fills me up just thinking about you. I'm never gonna go one day without my mama. You know I love you, mama. Mama, you're the queen of my heart. Your love is right here from the start. Mama. Mama, you're the queen of my heart. Your love is right here from the start. Mama, mama, you're the queen of my heart. Your love is right here from the start. Your love is like food to my soul. Your love is like food to my soul.
Speaker 1:Tell me what you think about that song and how does it relate to the message that you're sending as far as outslides her, but just your overall message that you want to convey in everything that you do.
Speaker 4:Girl, you just really almost took me there. Girl, I love that song. It means a lot. It has always been a beautiful song, but it means a lot to me because I lost my mother and my grandmother 17 days apart and they were the matriots and I was very close to my grandmother and my mother and it was pulling from strength that I never even knew that I had. We went from my grandmother. My grandmother's funeral program and services was the first time I'd ever done a funeral service. My family asked me and I couldn't tell them no To operate from a standpoint of you know, with my uncles and my aunt. My mom, just, you know, tell us what y'all want us to do. And then, just 17 days later, having them come to us and say y'all just tell us what we want to do, we were all broken, we were all lost. So, mama, that song, I love that song and it means a lot too because for me, as a mother, I was a single mother.
Speaker 4:I was married and we were through a horrible, horrible divorce and so I took care of my children the best way that I could, without any support from their father. But I knew that, that I was it, it was me, it was me and by the grace of God, my children are functioning adults in society and I didn't. They didn't die. You know, the Bible says spatter rod and sport a child. And I often joke and say the Bible say take the rod and beat them with it, beat the child with the run. But I remember thinking that they are they, they have me and I took my job and still do take my job very seriously as their mother. I wanted my children to have a mother that they could be proud of. I didn't want my children to go outside of the home to look for somebody to be their role model. They had a role model.
Speaker 4:So with my walking limitations you know I'm redesigning the cover of my walking limitations book and all through my children were like I don't like it. And then my dog, my son, I got out of the old people stuff on there and my daughter's like never in my life, I don't ever in my life remember seeing you in a wheelchair and this. That because they never saw me. And I was like well, you remember I was in a wheelchair for a year and she was like, yeah, but I don't remember that. She said yeah, but she don't remember that and it's because they always they never saw me as limited. They always say, okay, my mama can do that, my mama can do anything.
Speaker 4:So with that, with that song, it just kind of took me back to you know it's they're saying mama, I just want you to know I, that's that's how I felt. I want my mother and my grandmother to be proud of who I am and the legacy that I'm leaving for our family. So, and I, and that's my purpose with, with helping parents help their children make better choices we're, you know, every generation is supposed to get better and and, jacqueline, sometimes it seems like we're backslided. So every generation we're supposed to teach our generation. We have all of this technology and seem like we're not teaching our, our kids are missing out and losing out on things. So my, my goal I think everybody has has a gift and we all have a responsibility to do our part.
Speaker 4:And for me, you know my mentoring programs and paper v publishing, and and being a coach and a counselor, and being Nana, you know, because you have to start at home. That's, that's, that's my way of doing my part. You know, I have a. My best friend's daughter has been my mentor even before her mom and I became best friends. She's been in my mentoring program. She's she's 16 now and she's been in my program since she was like seven years old and she got baptized yesterday and, to God be the glory, my heart was just overjoyed and, you know, having the chance to just love on her and hug on her and help her prep to get it, you know, get to go in the water and just love and embrace her, and that's that's what it's all about for me, you know. You know, hey, loving you is like food to my soul.
Speaker 3:I believe the children are our future.
Speaker 3:Teach them well and let them lead the way.
Speaker 3:Show them all the beauty they possess inside.
Speaker 3:Give them a sense of pride. To make it easier, Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be. Everybody's searching for a hero. People need someone to look up to. I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs A lonely place to be and so I learned to depend on me.
Speaker 3:I decided long ago never to walk in any one shadow. If I fail, if I succeed, at least I'll live as I can live, no matter what they take from me. They can't take away my dignity, Because the great end of all is happening to me. I found the great end the love of all inside of me. The greatest love of all is easy to achieve Learning to love yourself. It is the greatest love of all.
Speaker 3:I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride. To make it easier, Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be. I decided long ago never to walk in any one shadow. If I fail, if I succeed, at least I'll live as I believe, no matter what they take from me, they can't take away my dignity, Because the great end of all is happening to me. I found the great end the love of all inside of me. The greatest love of all is easy to achieve Learning to love yourself. It is the greatest love of all. And if I chance that special place that you've been dreaming of, Leading to a lonely place, find your strength in love.
Speaker 1:I love you.
Speaker 4:Tell me what you think about those lyrics as you dissect them. The greatest love of all. It means the ultimate love, god's love, god's unconditional love for me, and he loves me in spite of me. And that's the love that he has instilled in me. And I hope that people see God's love radiating through me and how I respond to people and how I behave, and even in those times when I am behaving out of character what may appear to be out of character to some people the grace in knowing that God loves me. And he has instilled in me the knowledge that you know what, when you know that you've done something wrong, you fix it. So the greatest love of all is that, ultimately, everything that we go through in this life is temporary. Everything that I go through physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, it's temporary. And the greatest love of all is the gift that God has given to say this is just a dress rehearsal. Everything that we're doing in this life is just a dress rehearsal. So we're getting an opportunity to every single day to get it right and to embrace that love that God has provided for us to say, hey, you know what if nobody else loves you? This is the greatest love, and he's enabled us to give that same love to the people that we come in contact with, our families, to, you know, to teach our families and provide for our families. And I'm not when I say provide for our families, I'm not talking about provide financially, I'm talking about provide for them, teaching them that, teaching them about that love, teaching them the gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching them how to you know love and respect each other and how to love and respect themselves. And that's, you know, that's grooming our children and teaching them the difference between right and wrong and helping them to become you know, who they're going to be, in a productive way that they add to society and not take away from society.
Speaker 4:So, you know, the greatest love of all, I believe the children are our future and because, listen, we're, we're all aging. Every single day, we get older and older, and so we're not our future. The people who are coming up behind us, our children, are our futures and they are. They're going to be the politicians. They're going to be, you know, the decision makers. They're going to be the doctors and the lawyers. They're going to be those people who are going to make decisions, so the people who are making decisions in the world. Now they were the people who were young when we were young and who were our parents, you know. So now it's our responsibility to teach the children, because they are our future, because they are our future and listen.
Speaker 4:And I got to do my part, honey, because when they start making laws when I get old, I need them to think about Ms Laquita. She was so nice. Let me see. What would Ms Laquita have me do. You know, it's kind of like what would Jesus do? What would Ms Laquita have me do? She taught me right from wrong. She taught me to love. So let me put those things in mind as I incorporate these laws that are going to be beneficial for a world.
Speaker 1:And I'm powerful. And I truly agree. That's what you know. You remind me of my sister when you said that, because my sister said, yeah, you know, I may not have no kids, but I got a whole bunch of nieces and nephews, she said, and they are my retirement plan.
Speaker 1:Because when I get out she said I don't want to go to no home and if I go to one, it better be a good one and it's going to be on daytime. So she was like she makes sure, you know, tell me what to do for my nephews and my nieces, because I'm going to need them when I get old. They got to take care of me. So I just that put me in that mindset. But you are absolutely right.
Speaker 1:When we are raising these kids, we don't we don't truly know what our plan is for them. You know, we just pray and know that it's an anointing on their life and God has the final say in that. So when they grow up and they become just like Barack, the president of the United States, or our mayor, brandon Johnson here he's a black mayor, young black mayor in his early 30s you're looking at these people. You're like, wow, you know, who would have known that this? You know this little boy was going to be the president of the United States, right? So we have to be mindful, teach them in the way they should go when they will never depart from it.
Speaker 1:And that's in the Bible. That's not verbatim, but I know that's. You know, raise a child up in a way they should go, when they will never depart from it and when you teach them the right things, we can only hope and pray that they continue that and pray and keep them covered in it. So great, great answer to that Great, great answer. Now, in today's world, misinformation and fake news are prevalent. How can outlast hurt contribute to fostering critical thinking skills in children and helping them navigate the complexities of truth and falsehoods?
Speaker 4:Girl, that's a good one. First of all, parents have to want to expose their children to wholesome learning. You know not all of the. You know sometimes the television and baby sits. You know they have all of the Coco, melons and the blimpies and all that and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with those, but you got to know what's teaching your children and so sometimes we have to turn off those devices and give that, give that face time. Sit down with your children. Outlast hurt is a book number one to be read with the to for you to read, for the parents to read with their children. Sit down, read with the children, go over it, have fun with them, sing the song, dance around with the song and then talk about what is a lot. Now, the younger the kids are, they might not understand, so they have to grow with it. But when they get a little older they're four and five years old you can have because these kids are wise you can have conversations with them and play the, play those games with them so that they understand, but turn the television off too many times. You know, I see it is it's.
Speaker 4:I was having a conversation with this lady at work the other day and she was saying that her granddaughter was like hey, put this on. And she was like her two year old came with the remote and was telling her what to put on TV. And I was like that's my granddaughter. And the thing is, what are they watching? So you know, it's not enough to have the devices that that are parental, because now they have. They, the people who are creating these, these childhood games and these childhood shows. You have to know their background. What are they teaching my children? And you have to be comfortable and know that this lines up with what I'm wanting to teach them. And they still don't leave them alone to watch it by themselves. Because you got to think when they're exhibiting all these strange behaviors, like where they getting this from? And you know that you got.
Speaker 4:You know, like with my little Gabby, I'm like where is Gabby getting this from? And I'll tell her. You know, what is she watching? You know, and she'll say what she watches, blah, blah, blah. And are you watching with her? And sometimes it's like, okay, the kids have too much, too much screen time.
Speaker 4:And so my daughters, my day, my, my one year old, she's 19 months, and when I talked to her mom. This morning this child said I paid mommy. And my daughter was like no, ma'am, no iPad, she's not even to yet and she knows how to say I paid mommy. And so they only get the iPad for certain hours of the day. And she already knows iPad mommy. And I'm like okay, she's not even to yet. So parents have to do. You know, we have to put the learning back on the parents, and outslides hurt is a simple tool. It's a simple tool. You don't have to have a college degree. You don't have to have. You don't have to have a college degree, you don't have to have a doctorate to sing the songs you know. And if they can learn some of these songs, these little kids be learning with the language and all the words and the hip hop with the language and all the words. Then they can learn something simple as outslides hurt, because it's a teaching tool.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I'm sorry for the delay. Pause my microphone. I was trying to get it back. Some children choose to tell lies instead of telling the truth. How do you think this affects, or will affect, their relationships with others if it's not prevented?
Speaker 4:So I think, I think, I think, I think, I think, I think, I think, I think they are wanting to. You know they don't want to get in trouble. Sometimes you know there are parents and ideally you know kids should have loving parents and they don't all the time. And I believe sometimes children tell lies because they don't want to get in trouble. You know they don't want to, they don't want to lose some privileges or they don't want to, they don't want to get a spanking. They don't. And sometimes fear can be a natural thing. You know they may not get in trouble, they may not understand that and sometimes it becomes a habit. You know, and you know sometimes sometimes people tell children tell lies to get something. You know they tell lies because they may observe some situations going on and they don't want mommy to be mad, they don't want daddy to be mad. So they may not get in trouble, but they just don't want to, they don't want to see them hurt, they don't want to see their feelings hurt. So they tell lies. And then sometimes children observe lies. You know, you as parents when the phone rings. You know now we all have cell phones, so it's not we don't hear the phone ring. But when you know we had those landline phones and the phones would ring and the you know, tell a kid, tell them, tell them, mama, not home. Mama say huh, not home. And so we're teaching our children to lie. Somebody calls or somebody's, you know. You go something as simple as we're going to get something to eat and the kids meal says you know you've, you know five and under, and you tell that that five year old. Or you know you're going to the movies and you want to get that child in for half price and you tell that that 12 year old child to say that they're 10. Or you tell that you know, you tell them, hey, you know we getting the kids meal. So this child is, this child is, you know, for when they're actually six. So the children are observing those lies.
Speaker 4:You know, I remember going to in. My children were younger and my, my, you know my, my kids were like you know it's a lie, this is a lie, this is not a story. You told a lie and I remember my, my, my daughter said to ask for McDonald's, can we have McDonald's? And I said no, because they listen. It was amazing because the kids they was little couldn't read. I think Alexis. It was Alexis, she was always the one. Alexis may have been, she may have been three, maybe four, and it's amazing, they can read McDonald's. They can read that McDonald's sign.
Speaker 4:And I remember going down the street and they asked for McDonald's and I said no, I don't have any money. And so when I pulled up into the gas station to get gas and I got out to go and get gas, my Alexa said oh, mommy, you lie. And I was like what did I lie about? You said you didn't have no money. And I knew right then that I had to be clear and I said mommy, mommy did not lie. I said I don't have money for McDonald's, but I do have money for gas, because if I don't put gas in the car then we can't get home.
Speaker 4:And so we have to be very clear, because our children are smart.
Speaker 4:So when we, when, when we're, when, they're observing our behaviors, then they're they're observing what they're seeing, they're mimicking what they're seeing.
Speaker 4:So they're observing lies, they're going to tell lies. So we have to be very careful with that. And so you know, as we're teaching our children, we have to make sure that we're not we're not in a position where we're saying do as I say, not as I do. That's conflicting and it's confusing. So we have to be very clear with our children. We have to tell them, you know, we have to tell them the truth if we want them to know the truth Now. Now, granted, there are some things that may be above their head. So we have to tell them things in a way that they can understand it without lying to them. And I've always thought, if they, if my children, were old enough to ask me the questions, then they're. They're old enough for me to give them the answers. And I may have, I may have to give the answer differently to my, my child that's five, versus her sister, who is 10, who's five years older, because the level of understanding is different.
Speaker 3:So I think we have to be very careful with our children. I think you missed me. You don't miss me. You do miss me. Give me, kiss me. Thank you, I love you. Okay bye, thank you. I'll never let nobody hurt. To give you the world because you deserve it. He to have to treat a woman that you know you're gonna be something great. I want for you to shine so bright. No, you can do anything for crying. I see that there is a star inside. I will walk in the ocean before I let you let. Just hold on to my head, never let it go. Yeah, sun, hold on to my hand, blood. Hold on to my hand and never let it go. Hold on to my hand, to my hand, and never let it go. Hold on to my hand, sun. Hold on to my hand. Never let it go. I love you.
Speaker 1:Tell me what you think about that one LaCuda. How does it correlate with your message?
Speaker 4:Girl, that's a beautiful song. You got. You stopped me on that one. I've never heard that one before. That's beautiful. I like that. You know we have ideally. You know we have. We've.
Speaker 4:God has gifted us and, Jacqueline, I know you feel this way about your baby. God has gifted us with these children and we have a responsibility to guide them and they depend on us. They didn't ask to be here. They depend on us and it's like hold my hand. Right now my children are adults and I want them to call on me if they need me. Now I know.
Speaker 4:I also believe that we have to love our children enough to let them fall, but trust God enough to catch them before they bust a head on the seat. Man, you know what I'm saying. But I also believe that I have to be in a position of opening my heart to them, that if they need something, they know that they can come to me. You know and I say that to my son and my children are very independent and so, even though if they need something financially, they would figure it out, because that's what they've been taught to do figure it out and they'll figure it out. And they don't bother me to say, oh, mama, can you do this for me? Can you do that for me? Because they know how they've been raised, but at the same time, they know to call me if they want to talk through something. If my son needs to talk through something, he's going to call me. They have each other.
Speaker 4:I taught my children a long time ago that I am my brother's keeper, so they have each other. So when we're raising our children, we've got to teach them that they can come to us. And it's funny because it's like you're teaching your children to be independent, but you're also teaching them to know that they can come to you. And it's like God. God has taught us how to fish. You teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime. You give him fish and he'll just eat for that day. So God has equipped us with His word to be able to eat every day and to teach others how to eat. And that's what we're doing to our children. We're equipping them so that they can know how to eat. And we got them.
Speaker 4:And when my 95-year-old died two years ago, she told me before she died you've already raised your children, you can't raise them anymore. And what she was saying at some point we have to lose the reins and teach and trust them to do what we've taught them. And everybody doesn't get that. Everybody doesn't get that lesson. Everybody don't have those parents who were there, and I'm one of those. I love my mom dearly.
Speaker 4:My mom was an alcoholic. We were evicted from every place we've ever lived and so as I'm talking, I'm not talking from a standpoint where I had two loving parents. My dad was not in my life. My mom was a single mother. She did the very best she could. So when I'm talking, I'm not talking because people might be listening and saying, oh well, she doesn't know my struggle. She sound like she had two parents. And no, that wasn't the case. It was not the case.
Speaker 4:My start was rocky, like most people start. I lived there. I know what it feels like to come home from school and our stuff be sitting out on the street, not one time, two times, three times, multiple times. Living with my grandmother for five years of my life was the most stability I had in my childhood and incorporate that as being a crippled child. But God, so you got to know. For me it was.
Speaker 4:I didn't want that for my children, so I don't drink Now? Have I drank before? Yeah, but I didn't like the feeling of being drunk, so that was not my thing. It was not a choice that I made because I didn't want my children seeing that my mom cussed. I mean she would cuss and I didn't like the way that felt, so I didn't cuss my children.
Speaker 4:And my children were disciplined. They got whippings. I did whip their behinds, but I didn't beat them. I didn't slap them and kick them and all that stuff. I disciplined them because I did not want their lives to be like mine. We struggled, we struggled. I mean sometimes the ends just would not meet. But my children don't know what it's like to live out, to be out on the street. They never went through that. I went through that multiple times. So as we grow, we go through things in our lives that we don't want for our children. So we do different things so that our children won't experience those heartaches that we experience. But as they grow they will experience their own heartaches. But we have to give them the opportunity to not endure some of those unnecessaries.
Speaker 1:And starting off teaching them how to go about and doing things the right way is, first off, telling them not to lie, to always be truthful, always be honest, always be loyal. Those things can carry a child all the way through their life and steer them on the correct path, and that's why I'm so, so, very thankful for this book that you and Mr Anthony Wallace put out Ouch Last Her we see the importance of honesty and how sometimes, if you're not honest with your parents or you're not honest about a situation, how it can be detrimental to your life. I've witnessed kids, or kids my age, lie to their parents about where they're going and then they end up either missing, kidnapped just a multitude of wrong things that can go wrong all because of not being honest and telling lies. How do you think telling the truth can help be a trust and strengthen relationships with children and their parents but not just children and parents, but in all relationships with others and can you give some examples from your own experience?
Speaker 4:Girl. Yes, you're right, it's important Tell the truth about where you're going. Even as a child, I remember I was a hot tail, listen, I had a lot of stuff going on, but I was also a hot tail girl too. I like to hang out with my friends and I was hot tail, so I would go out and my friends and I. We would not necessarily tell the truth about where we were going and I remember my grandmother used to always say every time we would leave out, we would get ready to go out the house, my grandma would tell us about somebody she knew who got missing, who got raped every single time. And I was just saying my grandma don't know that many people. But now, as I look back, she was trying to scare us straight a little bit. But I was a hot tail, but not a wild child. I was never wild. But I remember my sister. I remember going. I used to be in a college prep group called Upward Bound and I remember coming home and I was like where is it? I asked him where my sister was and she was gone. She was gone missing and she didn't come home. And that was during the time of the missing and murdered children and they didn't know whether she had gotten kidnapped or what happened. But she was just out doing her thing and just didn't feel the need to tell my mom and she caused a lot of grief and she lied because it could have been so much serious, so much, so much more than it was. And then, fast forward years later she had a daughter who actually did get kidnapped, who actually did meet somebody online and lied about where she was going and what she was doing, and she actually did get kidnapped. So it's important to tell the truth. Even now there has to be accountability, because now, with the trafficking, it's even worse than it was then. We have trackers. My children each have trackers on their phone so they can track each other's location. They can say, hey, you know what, she's home, or her phone says she's in here. We cannot, we don't go anywhere without saying, hey, head at home. When we're leaving from our family it's like, hey, we're home.
Speaker 4:So instilling truth gives children the ability to be comfortable and to be able to share those things. Because, jacqueline, you and I know there are some things that we didn't share, and so when you teach children that it's OK to tell the truth, you also have to teach them that it's OK to come to me, tell me the truth, no matter how you think I might take it. And that's what I used to say to my children. And they would still say, hey, there's some things you just don't want to tell your mom especially. I wasn't strict, but I was kind of, and so I realized that there were some things that my children were probably not going to tell me. So what I did was say, if you feel like you cannot tell me, tell somebody you can trust, and that was my sister. They can tell my sister, auntie Kim. They can tell Auntie Kim anything. And I was OK with that because Auntie Kim knew enough to know that, ok, we can't cross this line because your mom are not going like that.
Speaker 4:And if it was necessary and that's how I do with my program I let the parents know your children have to trust me. Unless it's something that I believe will hurt them or they're physically going to hurt themselves, then I'll share it with you. But other than that, I don't share what's going on with my children, with my mentees, with their parents, and that's the contract that we sign. And if I have to and one of the things with my program that I like and I know I'm kind of off subject here, jacqueline is that my program allows me to mentor the parents too. So I have an opportunity to talk to the parents. So because they go home and I want to know what I'm up against and I want to teach parents how to be their own children's mentor. So, as you're going through with your children, have an open dialogue, and there are going to be some things that you don't want to know. Like now my children can talk to me about anything and I'd be sitting there saying, ok, you know what? What's the idea of my? I don't even want to know that. Some of this stuff I don't even want to know. Keep it to yourself, or y'all share that with each other. Let me get off the phone. And so building that trust is important Because ultimately, you don't want any surprises.
Speaker 4:You don't want somebody saying, hey, your child did this or that. You want to be able to know that child. My mom used to say, if you say it Laquita did this and was like no, no, no. But if you say Laquita was talking and she was talking back, yeah, that's her. And so when you teach them to tell the truth, then they'll be more likely to come to you and keep in mind it might be some things you don't want to hear, but if you want them to come and tell you the truth because it's a matter of safety too, because that lie outslides hurt, you can lie on somebody and that can get you in a whole world of trouble and that's a whole different ball game. The goal escalates to telling a simple lie, to telling a lie that could really hurt, and lies can get people killed, and that's the importance of it. It's just super important to be able to teach your children from a very young age how very, very important it is to just tell the truth, because it could end in somebody's death.
Speaker 3:He was always such a nice boy, the quiet one with good intentions. He was down for his brother, respectful to his mother, a good boy. But good, don't get attention. One kid with the promise, the brightest kid in school, reading books about science and smart stuff, it's not enough. No, cause smart, don't make you cool. He is not indecent. Going in with his father's mind and a broken tooth, he'll see you walk through that classroom door. He's all of a primetime news.
Speaker 3:Mary's got the same size hands as a Marilyn Monroe.
Speaker 3:She put her fingers in the imprint satan man's Chinese theater show. She could have been a movie star. Never got the chance to go that far. A life was sold home. Now I never know. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They were crying to the cameras that he never fitted in. He wasn't welcome. He showed up to the parties we was hanging in, so guys were putting him down, pulling him round. Now I wish I would have talked to him, give him the time of day and let's turn away. If I would have been the winner, maybe told the spot, he might have stayed at home playing and records on his guitar. He's not indecent. Going in with his second pants and his legs in chains, he'll walk through that classroom door. He's all of a primetime news. Mary's got the same size hands as Marilyn Monroe. She put her fingers in the imprint satan man's Chinese theater show. She could have been a movie star. Never got the chance to go that far. A life was sold home now I never know. No, no, no, it was always getting wet from 20 feet away, 20 feet away, trying with the sticks. It's good and a way for Saturday now. We're never gonna see him slam high and high as Kobe can. His life was sold home now. I never know, never, never, never know. Now. I never, never, never, never know. Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mary's got the same size hands as Marilyn Monroe.
Speaker 3:She put her fingers in the imprint satan man's Chinese theater show. She could have been a movie star. Never got the chance to go that far. A life was sold home now, I never know. Now. I never, never. No, no, it was always getting wet from 20 feet away, 20 feet away, trying with the sticks. It's good and a way for Saturday now. We're never gonna see him slam high and high as Kobe can. His life was sold home. Now, I never know, now, I never, never, no, no, oh, no, no, no, no. Yeah, the life's worth it all. Now I never know, stop, stop. We were here all together yesterday don't go, don't go.
Speaker 1:Now that was Kelly Rowland with Stahl, and a lot of times we don't really understand that. We have to really, really really pay attention to our children, teach them the correct way of doing things and just teach them about, you know, good principles and moral. One of those good principles is telling the truth, not telling a lie, because lies can cause a tsunami of a disaster that you will never, ever, ever want to imagine. So I just appreciate you, laquita, for this book, along with a lot of the other motivational and encouraging affirmation books that you have out, and especially your children book, because we have to start early. We have to go back to the roots and really start reading to our children, take those devices, give them some books and teach them in a way that they should go, and we're going to start first with the Bible and second with this book. Laquita, tell us more about what you think about this song that just played, and how does your book play an intricate role in preventing those type of things from happening?
Speaker 4:you know what I like that song and it's very touching. It sends a powerful message that we, you're right, we have to, we have to be involved in too many times, and when I think of stole, it can be. It can have so many different meanings, you know, it can be, you know, and of course it's life ended too soon. But you can, you, wow, wow, that's powerful. When I think about things, start there's a gateway to everything, right? So you know, people say marijuana is the gateway, drugs to cocaine and other things. And then you know a little sip of, you know, getting a little sip of beer can be the gateway to, you know, having a taste for stronger alcohol.
Speaker 4:Lying, you start lying. You know my grandmother used to say if you lie you're steal, if you steal you're kill. He's like, wow, that's deep. But you know, when you think about it, when you think about it, that way you can lose your soul for lying, because the Bible says thou shalt not lie, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not murder. That all of those thou shalt not. And lying is one of those things. And so lying can be the gateway, but you have to stop it, just like everything else, and you have to. You have to identify those behaviors so that they won't lead to where you're in a position where you're mourning that child or that friend who's gone too soon. I've had, I've known too many people who have you know, who've turned around and you're like, okay, wow, I didn't think that that person would do that, oh, wow. And then when you look back, even in my family, I look back at you know some of the ways that some of my relatives turned out and but when I went, when I look back at the way they were when they grew up and the things that they were allowed to get away with, now as an adult and I understand that that behavior is not good, I'm like, okay, I get it, I understand. So you know, you're even in jail, being in prison, serving time for committing crimes. It's still stalled because the life that you could have had is gone. And you know, when you do things, when you tell lies and lies hurt, it does not just affect the liar, it affects everybody, it affects the person who you're lying on and affects it's just like a domino effect.
Speaker 4:So as we go through teaching our children and training them, we have to train them, just like you said a few minutes ago. You have to train them while they're young, and when they become old they won't depart from it. All of these things are biblical principles and those are simple things, you know. It's kind of like hey, you have to learn the foundation, you gotta learn ABC before you can learn. Cat is CAT. Well, you have to learn. You have to be able to identify the letters, to know what they are, and you have to know 1, 2, 3 before you can do 10 times 10. So everything has a foundation and if you skip the foundation then it becomes a mess. You can't build a house with building a firm foundation, or that house is not going to stand right, it's going to crumble. You can't build a house on sand, so you gotta build it on a solid foundation. And that's what my goal is.
Speaker 4:The paper will be publishing in the children's books. My goal too, from the books that we publish is our wholesome books written by children. Your child's book, the Honorable Bee. It's a wholesome book with a message my neighbors don't look like me. Another one of my children's books. It's a book with a message. You know, my neighbors don't look like me. It's self-explanatory. But that doesn't mean that my neighbors are better than me or I'm better than my neighbors. That just means we look different and that's the same. Ouch, lies Hurt is a wholesome book that teaches children the benefit of telling the truth. Telling the truth is good, telling lies is bad. And then I have other books that are coming out where I'm teaching principles of doing the right things, doing the things that are right and shying away from those things that are not right.
Speaker 1:I want to thank you so much, ms Laquita Parks, for giving such a powerful, powerful, powerful message, as you always do. In everything that you do and everything that you write, in every place that you go, you drip wisdom, you drip it. Your sauce is dripping wisdom everywhere you go and I truly, truly appreciate you for that. I have one more question in what ways do you think the characters or the emoji in the book learn the importance of honesty?
Speaker 4:I think in the goal is for.
Speaker 4:The goal is when they see those characters. The goal is to be able to identify when it's a lie With the characters. Ouch, you have the mean face, ouch, and that face is the hurt. Ouch, lies, hurt. Then you have the lies, really hurt, and you have the tears and they make people cry. You have the emoji that's crying, so the child can see. Okay, when I see the space, that's not good. When I see those tears, that's not good. Then you have the emojis running and playing.
Speaker 4:I have in the book where the emojis are playing house and they build a house and they're swinging and it's a beautiful day and the sun is shining, everything is beautiful and bright. That's what I wanted to identify that when you tell the truth, it's beautiful. And right now I don't want and it's a children's book, so I don't want parents to mistake that when you tell the truth, everything's all good. No, because sometimes when you tell the truth, the truth hurts too. But you got to tell the truth because, especially if a person can't receive the truth, they're not going to feel it, they're not going to like that, they're going to be unhappy. But when they learn to but you still have to tell the truth. People will embrace it at some point. They may not embrace it, but you know that you've told the truth and it's always better to tell the truth, no matter what you know. Say, okay, you know what, I'm going to tell the truth, let the chips fall where they may.
Speaker 4:As children, you have to teach them. Just like children learn how to manipulate at a very early age because they're smart, so children know when they're first born and the babies are crying and they're like okay, they cry. And they get picked up and they get that milk and they're like okay, I like this. And then, after they get finished, they put it. You know, you put them down and they dry and they don't need anything. They're not wet, they're fed. And then they start crying. You pick them up. Then they know that okay. So so if I cry, they don't pick me up. So that's a little bit of manipulation. Babies learn how to manipulate quick. That's why they say you know, make sure they're, are they dry, are they fed, are they wet, then they're fine. Let them learn how to self-serve. And so when you're teaching them to tell the truth, you have to. It's got to be. Parenting is repetitive action. Jacqueline, you know that. How many times have you said the same thing over and over with your children?
Speaker 1:You've said it all Every day.
Speaker 4:Every day. It's time to take a bath. Have you taken a bath? Okay, it's time to take a bath. Have you done your homework? It's time to eat. Have you taken the trash out? Have you did-a-da-da? Have you looked at the dog? Have you done?
Speaker 4:Every day it's repetitive and so it's not any different when you're teaching them. You can't teach. You can't teach a child how to make up a bed one time and think they're going to get it right they have. It's repetitive. You can't, you can't say okay, you know what? Because then you're not going to have a child that's going to tell one little lie and that's going to be it. There are some who get scared straight. You know, I got scared. I have never told another lie.
Speaker 4:No, I remember my stealing. Oh, my goodness, we used to go to the store. I was in elementary school and we used to go to the store and there was a little look, not really a little plaza store and I would see, you know, go in and see the friends going in and they would get candy and they would stick it in their bag and they would leave. So I'm going to do it too. I went in the store and I had my book bag and I did what everybody else was doing I grabbed some candy and I stuck it in my bag and it just happened to be a friend of my mom's who's working in the store. And she called my mom and I was terrified. I mean, I was terrified the whole evening waiting for her to come home and I didn't get a whooping. But the fact that I was terrified and she asked me you know, we talked, we talked about it the fact that I was terrified girls, you didn't have to worry about me going in the store still, and nothing else, nothing else, girl, that scared me straight, just the fact that I thought I was going to get a whooping. I didn't get a whooping but I didn't. But she talked to me and I was, and she asked me how to feel. I was scared, so you didn't have to worry about that with me.
Speaker 4:Now there are some who who get the sticky, and I call it get the sticky on their fingers and they have a hard time getting it off. You know that means you have to, you have to do more, and it's the same thing with lying. You will identify those children who you know what. Okay, we got a problem here and you have to make sure that it's repetitive and that you keep. Whatever the punishment is Okay. If you lie, you're going to. You're not going to be able to do this, this, this, and you have to keep your word because being you lose credibility.
Speaker 1:Valuable insights. She dropped in jail's parent in 101. I'm telling y'all and this book has really, really, really I'm telling you, my son took to school. I guess he must have said it was some lies in his class or something, because he took to school and it ain't been back. So I guess the teachers there and everybody else there can appreciate this book just as much as the car child's home, because we may need to be ordering another one around here Because I haven't seen it in a while actually. So that means that the is being used. I guarantee you at the school is such a great book, you guys, I want everybody to go. Can you tell people where they can purchase the book from?
Speaker 4:Absolutely, they can purchase the book from. They can go to Amazon, purchase a book from Amazon, or they can also purchase the book from payprovpublishingcom and they can reach out to me and I can send an autograph copy.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for that and I really, truly. You know it's always a time when it's me and you, girl, it's always a good time and I just truly, truly, truly appreciate you coming on the show and spreading the message and talking about this wonderful, wonderful book Out Lies Hurt, and also talking about the song that you have that correlates with the message, and just everything about what you do with your organization, with exhale, with a failure to communicate beauty, redefined payprovpublishing. I told you guys, this lady is a one-stop shop, whatever you need to get done, or if you just need, you know, words of encouragement, or a mentor, or a coach, a publisher, a friend, a support system. She is all that in one. But one thing she is not your trash can, so her ears are not your trash can. Okay, I want you to take us out. I want you because I was going to steal it from you, but you go ahead on and take us out, and then I'm going to end with prayer.
Speaker 4:Okay, well, before that, jacqueline, I just want to tell you thank you so much. I am definitely a fan and just everything that you've done with your platform and giving people like me a voice to be able to share our passion, and I just want to say thank you so much. I love you. I am so, so, very proud of you and your whole family. I am super excited for Jayden's book I keep wanting to say Jaylin for Jayden's book, the Honorable Bee, and I know this is a plug. Y'all Go on to Amazon and download the book. I pre-order the book. I am just so excited. It is an amazing story and it's written by a young man who has, who's just, wise beyond his years, and I can't wait for the next project, my superpowers are not weird, by Marvis Cox Jr. So, thank you so much. And listen, it has been a plump pleas and pleasure. Better than a triple decappina butting jelly sandwich. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Speaker 1:We sticking to it, y'all. So I'm going to end with prayer and then I'm going to let Ms Tasha Cobbs and Sierra take us out. Gracious Jehovah Jireh, we come before you with hearts full of gratitude for the wisdom and inspiration you have bestowed upon us in this episode. We thank you for guiding us as we explore the importance of honesty and truthfulness with children as well as adults, and as we conclude this episode, we ask for your continued blessings and provision. May the seeds of truth that were sown today take root in the hearts and minds of those who hurt them, nurturing a deep understanding and appreciation for honesty. We pray that you will empower parents, caregivers and educators with the patience, wisdom and discernment that they will need to instill the values of truthfulness in the lives of children. Help us to be examples of honesty and integrity in our own words and actions, so that we may inspire those around us to do the same. Jehovah Jireh, we trust in your abundance. May you bless every listener with the strength and courage to live a life of honesty, even with faced with challenges and temptations.
Speaker 1:We offer our heartfelt thanks for your presence throughout this episode and we humbly ask for your continued guidance in all our future endeavors. In your name, jesus Christ and Jehovah Jireh, we pray Amen. Thank you all so much again. Thank you again, laquita and everybody who has tuned in. Have a wonderful night, and I will catch you guys on the flip side, on station head. Download the station head app it's available on Android and iPhone and follow me there. Same name Listen Linda 23,. Like Jordan, have a wonderful night.
Speaker 3:I don't talk every hour. I'm a little and I messed up a thousand times. I don't always commit, sometimes I give away too quick and then I get tired of trying to run away from who I am to who I want to be. Some days are better than others. I can be up and I'm down. But beyond my mistakes, I'm pounding your grace and this one thing will never change you still love me. That's part of me. You still chose me. Can it be? Ever it's gone. Ever it's gone. You'll see it all. You'll see it all. You still love me. Love me, oh, it's part of me. It's part of me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm stubborn at heart. I think I could have forgot. I do it all by myself. I won't ask for help, and sometimes my mother's smart. I can be insecure, counting on the people's blessings and never stop to know what I got. Some days are better than others. I can be up and I'm down, but beyond my mistakes, I'm pounding your grace and this one thing will never change you still love me. That's part of me. You still chose me. You still chose me. You still chose me. What can it be? Ever it's gone. Ever it's gone. Ever it's gone. You'll see it all. You'll see it all. You still love me, love me, you still love me. You still chose me. There's part of me. You still chose me. You still chose me. Never it's gone, ever it's gone, never it's gone, never it's gone, never before we see it all. You see it all, you see it all. We Come May. Let me hear you say yeah, and can I get a witness? You didn't give me what I deserve Love's so ridiculous, paris, england, hollywood. Oh, can I get a witness? You didn't give me what I deserve Love's so relentless. God can't see me. You still love me. It's kind of me. You still chose me. You still chose me. Can it be? How can it be? Yeah, ever is gone, ever is gone, ever is like. You see it all, you see it all. You still love me, love me, oh, you can find it. Yeah, ah, ah, ah. It's hard to believe you have a choice. And daily you choose me. It's hard to believe you have a choice. You have a choice, oh, and daily you choose me, you choose. It's hard to believe you have a choice. It's gone. And daily you still choose. Say it's hard. Oh, you have a choice, oh, and daily you still choose me. Never give up on. I will Never give up on. I will Never give up, never give up, never give up on. I will Never give up, never give up, never give up on me. You still love me. It's kind of me. You still chose me. Can it be? Never is come, never is come, never. We find you see it all. You see it all. You still love me, find me, find me, find me, find me.
Speaker 6:Got halfway up the block, I calmed down and stopped screaming and thought oh, I can't, I'm just dizzying. I strolled back home with a grin on my grill. I'm big as since this isn't you, I might as well get ill. I walked in the house the big, bad fresh prince but Freddy killed all that noise Real quick. He grabbed me by my neck and said here's what we'll do. We got a lot of work here, me and you, the souls of your friends.
Speaker 2:You and I will pray. You've got the body and I got the brain.
Speaker 6:I said you're free. I think you got me all wrong. I ain't partners with nobody With nails that long. Look, I'll be honest, man, this team won't work. The girls won't be on you. Fred, your face is all burnt.
Speaker 6:Fred got mad and his head started steaming. But I thought what the hell? I'm only dreaming. I said please leave Fred so I can get some sleep. But give me a call and make one, hang out next week. I pat him on the shoulder, said thanks for stopping by. Then I opened up the door. I said Take care, guy. He got mad, drew back his arm and slashed my shirt. I laughed at first and thought Hold up, that hurt. It wasn't a dream man, this guy was for real. I said Freddie, uh, I was putting off on the stage there. No further words. And then I darted upstairs, crashed through my door, then jumped on my bed Full of covers left over my head, said oh, please do something with Fred. He jumped on my bed, went through the covers With his car, he tried to get me, but my alarm went off and then silence. It was a whole new day. I thought I was in, scared of him.