Common Shares What Made Him a Better Parent

Common is already a rapper, actor, and activist, among other roles, but he can now add ‘author’ to his resume. The star penned a book containing various forms of life advice and stories about his own journey. The book, titled And Then We Rise is split into four sections – The Food, The Body, The Mind, and The Soul – each one offering suggestions for how to improve that respective aspect of one’s life.

How the Book Connects to Parenting

Common says that writing the book helped him become a better parent, as he discovered a lot of who he is today based on his early years. The rapper explained, “One of the most introspective moments of my journey was recognizing that some of the things that I do in life and the way I deal with people have to do with my eight-year-old self. Like the things that affected me when I was eight or nine and how that appears in my relationships now.”

Making Choices

Common went on to explain the revelation that changed how he views his daughter, Omoye, who’s in her 20s now. He said, “I think a lot of things that my mother and my stepfather implanted in me resonate with me now, but some things I had to choose my path and figure out what was for me, what is my purpose, and what I’m choosing now. Is it in alignment with my purpose? I had to learn as a teenager, as a young adult, and as an adult to find what things are really me, what things I am going to choose for my life.”

Common went on to express how important it is for parents to let their children think for themselves, make their own choices, and come to their own conclusions about life. He said parents have to refrain from allowing their egos to step on their kids’ paths. Common added, “We also got to trust that we’ve been planting seeds and giving them the best we have for their lives.”