Mamacita says: In case you’re one of those people who don’t believe children in America are going to bed hungry, I’ve got news for you: bu

Monday mornings were the worst – we teachers would stand at the front doors of the school and watch as little pinched faces hurtled off the bus and dashed into the building, heading for the cafeteria and that tray of breakfast that was, for far too many of the children, the first actual meal they’d had since free lunch at school the previous Friday. Even when schools send home food in a backpack, many families don’t feed their children with it. Sending it home doesn’t necessarily mean the child gets to eat it.

It was also usually on Monday mornings that we watched children who’d been given a coat, mittens, and hat on Friday emerge from the bus bareheaded and shivering because the clothing had been given to another family member or – and there is a special level of Hell for these people – sold to buy booze. If I had a nickel for every mother (part of an hyphenated word) who came into the building wearing the coat we’d given her child, I’d have, well, a really big pile of nickels.

My point? Do I have to have one? Okay then. Here it is:

Adults have no business taking care of themselves until their children have been provided for. This includes food AND clothing. I’m sorry if an adult has no warm coat, but if said adult helps herself/himself to the warm coat off a child’s back, I hope said adult hangs.

If there isn’t much food in the house and an adult eats the last piece of bread, see above, regarding hanging.

Children come first. Children take priority over everything else. Children are more important than you are.

Always.*

P.S. If you reek of cigarette smoke, I will hate you worse. What you paid for that pack of smokes sitting in your purse or rolled up in your sleeve (classy) would have bought socks and mittens for your shivering, blue-fingered child.

Don’t talk to me about addiction, either. You created these children and you are morally, ethically obligated to care for them until such time as they can care for themselves. By the way, since you don’t seem to know, that time isn’t second grade.

* The only place this doesn’t apply is on a plane that’s losing altitude. Put your oxygen mask on first, THEN help the children. In every other situation, you’re last.