I come from a single-mother household. My father died when I was 3. He did't run out on my mother, but still the circumstances of raising a child alone are the same. Yes, my mother took great care of me (and my brother). Neither one of us were "trouble" kids. We never used drugs, dropped out of school or became teenaged parents. We are on the other side of the spectrum. Both of us are college graduates. So yes, my mother did an outstanding job. However, she does not need to be rewarded or praised for raising us. It was her job to raise us. She simply handled the situation.

Expecting to be rewarded for raising a child is like expecting to be rewarded for paying a bill. If I take on the responsibility of getting a credit card, then I should be repsonsible and pay the bill. The creditor is not going to reward me for paying my bill. Why should I expect to be rewarded for doing what I'm supposed to do? The same goes for fathers who have abandoned the mother and child. How many times have we heard people say, "You have to give him credit. He pays his child support and picks up the kids every weekend." So? Is that not what he's supposed to do? Why does he deserve extra credit? Maybe Brian McKnight should sing a song called "Baby Daddy (I Pay My Child Support)."

I'm not putting Fantasia down for writing the song. The song is her opinion and this is mine. She feels that single mothers should get a "badge of honor" for taking care of what they rightfully should take care of and I don't agree. However, I do feel that young girls will get the wrong message from this song. Their young minds are not developed enough to completely grasp the complexity of the song. They will hear what's on the surface: It's okay to be a baby mama.