Kimone Brown’s upbringing is influencing how she raises her son Amir

If a mom gets the best seat to the greatest show in town watching her children grow, then consider Kimone Brown one lucky mother because her son, Amir Nembhard, is the star of his household.

His recent shining moment, caught on candid camera, surrounded back-to-school preparations. The social media video shows the leading boy in action having a riveting discussion with his father about an expensive school shoe purchase.

If you know the lines, ‘Explain that to me,’ or ‘You’re going to buy it,’ then you’re familiar with his class act.

In an inteview with The Gleaner, Brown put the video in context, stating that the scene was actually three minutes long, and that she had already made the purchase.

“I actually posted the video in the middle. We were already in the store, and I sent his dad some pictures, told him the cost, and he said buy the shoes. So I bought it, and his dad would have reimbursed the purchase. What you saw was us returning to the store because of the price,” she told Living.

And Amir was intent on defending both his and his mother’s decision. This isn’t his first viral video. He was once highlighted for his spirited prayer for his bullies, asking God to fix the enemy’s business for his wrongdoing.

Brown explained that this has always been his personality, “Amir has always been outgoing and expressive - not shy at all. The reality is, if he has an audience, he is going to perform,” which aligns with the personalities around him: her, as well as his father’s, grandmother’s, and uncle’s. She also revealed that he’s smart, demanding, very loving, and blunt by nature.

Her aim was to put his extroverted personality on display for laughs and entertainment since her friends could not get enough of the comedy. Once she signed up for TikTok and began sharing videos, she was in for a surprise, receiving mixed reviews.

Some fans were excited about his bold approach to issues and applauded him for sticking up for what he believed in. Some were present just for the laughs and the comments. And there were others who called out the mother for her son’s ‘bad behaviour’, playing into the view that the child should be seen and not heard.

“I don’t believe in that. I wasn’t raised that way, and I love that Amir says what’s on his mind. I saw a man in the comments section saying all now he would still be beating him. Why? For making his point? That’s abuse right there,” she said.

While she is open to suggestions, Brown admitted that her parenting style is similar to the treatment she received from her mother and grandmother. Capable of speaking her truth and asking questions for most of her life, she encourages Amir to do the same.

But it’s not always a walk in the park. “He is very respectful most of the time. And he knows the difference between right and wrong. So there are moments where I’ll give him the look, and he apologises or behaves himself immediately.” Then when it comes to discipline, the mother of one said she takes away his privileges like screen time. And that works for her.

“At the end of the day, I can’t tell anyone how to raise their child or children. I just have to be the best parent to my son. And the irony is, he isn’t this way at school. He’s very reserved and quiet. He has only come out of his shell recently because his teachers have seen the videos.”

His mother is delighted that Amir likes the spotlight - she prefers it that way over a quiet child. And he’s happy that others find him smart and hilarious. And he enjoys making videos and going viral. He’s already learning how to filter out the naysayers, having full support from his mother and family. When he isn’t busy playing at the zoo, the star boy enjoys spending quality time with his family at home. He is also a great dancer and never hesitates to show off his moves.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com