It’s still hard for me to ask for help, and that might be because that’s how I saw my mom operate when I was growing up. She was so busy, working three jobs, taking care of five kids — she just had a lot going on. My dad was more of the youthful one, but somehow, he was also the stern parent. There are parts of me that really take after him in that respect because with Roux, it’s as if I’m just a big kid myself. My dad was my favorite for that reason, so I just naturally attach to that parenting style. Yes, we have a lot of fun together, but she also knows that when I’m serious, I’m serious, and it’s not a game. Growing up Black, you’re told to stay in a child’s place. You’re told to stop crying, to not be so emotional. I know exactly how that affected me: it made me an anxious person. It made me go into a shell, to not trust my feelings. I was insecure and scared of myself, honestly, and that’s something that I don’t want my child to ever feel. I don’t think my parents did that intentionally; it’s just a matter of how they were raised and what they knew at the time. But I’m so self-aware as a parent that I take that into account while also doing things differently. I’ve adopted my own method of parenting as far as allowing my daughter to really use her voice rather than shutting it down. I tell her, “You can say what you want and feel how you feel, but be respectful. Cry if you need to — throw a tantrum, even. We can always talk it out.”