Please use your Common Sense: Stop and think before you act.

This book was inspired when my daughter, Laila, asked, “Mommy, what is common sense”. While growing up, I was often told by my mom to use my common sense and heard it said in other family members’ homes. When I became a parent, I began to use this same language when speaking to my daughter, not fully aware that she did not know what “common sense” means. As a parent we want to keep our children safe and teach them to be mindful of their actions, I took the approach of telling my daughter to use her “common sense”. I thought that if I continued to tell her to use her “common sense” she would eventually understand what I was saying. Common sense is defined by Webster’s dictionary as sound and prudent judgement based on a simple perception of the situation or facts. It is my hope that this book sparks a conversation about the home-grown idioms or expressions we often use and naturally pass on to our children. It is important that we educate ourselves on the language we are using to direct our children and pass on the education to them. African American children’s book.