That’s my hometown.

I might be in NC now but my heart will always be in NB.

Pete Davidson recently did a video on SNL about Staten Island (a must-see if you haven’t already.) One of the lines that stuck out for me is when he said that Staten Island is what made him weird.

I can relate to that.

I might have been weird already but North Babylon made me weirder – in a good way.

NB High School was the best life-lesson I ever had. It was predominantly middle-class kids from all different walks of life, but yet we were all kind of the same.

Ask anyone from NBHS what “Lane’s” is and they will regale you with tales of the best BEC w/ SPK the world has ever known.

Ask anyone from NBHS about “the field” and they’ll tell you about goose shit.

Ask anyone from NBHS about “the cage” and you’ll hear about feeling like an animal at the zoo.

We hung out every weekend behind a store called Cheap John’s, conveniently located in front of an Elementary School field.

Convenient because we’d drink 40s and inevitably have to pee, so we’d just “pop a squat” behind some bushes. This is especially funny because so many friends I did this with, now stand in those same spots watching their kids play soccer 🤣 Imagine if they knew how much time you spent in that field, drunk and popping squats 🤣

Everyone wore the clothing brands Skids, Hardwares, Z Cavariccis, Starter Jackets, Cross Colours with the tag line “Love See No Colour”, IOU Sweatshirts, Tommy Hilfiger, Champion – and it was a dream come true to own a leather 8-Ball Jacket (you can catch David Putty in one on Seinfeld reruns 🤣)

When we could drive, our favorite thing to do was visit the cemetery on Sweet Hollow Road to see “Mary’s Grave.” All the old wives tales about ghosts had us scared and thrilled at the same time.

Beforehand we’d stop at the Getty gas station to pick up on cigarettes, Phillies, snacks, etc. and say hi to our friend, Singh, who worked there. We’d make up songs for him like “Singh-a-ling-a-ling, school bell ring, BOOYAHKASHA! BOOYAHKASHA!” (To the tune of Ting-A-Ling by Shabba Ranks). Then we’d drive away as I’d sing a heartfelt rendition of I Will Always Love You in my best Whitney voice. He’d smile and wave from his plexiglass window.

Sometimes we’d stop at The Sev (7-11) for some Slurpees and say what’s up to Roscoe, the old guy who hung out in front. He was in love with my friend Jodi and told her all the time.

We’d listen to Biggie and Tupac and Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown. Those times are often conjured up in my mind now that my son is interested in Mobb Deep and A Tribe Called Quest (I’m so proud 🥲) I get to introduce him to songs like Shook Ones and Award Tour – some of the many themes to those perfect nights ♥️

I went off on a tangent here, but my original post was to say, times have changed but not as much as we think.

Kids are still kids.

We as parents are removed from it now and are looking at everything through a secondary lens.

They go to school. They know all the kids in their classes. They know when the fights are going to happen. They know who to stay away from. They’re not stupid. They’re just as aware as we were back then. We know who are the good people and who aren’t.

I went to a Town Hall meeting recently because weapons have been found on campus. A few of the students were there and said they weren’t surprised and didn’t seem all that scared.

Don’t get me wrong – weapons on campus are not a good thing! I’m just encouraging you to take a step back, breathe a little, remember what it was like when you were young. You knew what was up, right? You weren’t such a babe in the woods that you had no idea what was going on, right? These kids are smart. They’re going to be ok.

If you were robbed of a childhood that introduced you to all walks of life and think that anyone who isn’t like you is bad, I feel sorry for you. But where I’m living now, it’s a wonderful mix of people just like where I grew up and trust me, the kids are going to be fine ♥️