"Everybody who meets my mom is like, 'Man, you have the coolest mom in the world,' " Andre said. "And I always tell 'em, 'Yeah, you didn't have to deal with the growing-up stage.' She was very tough on me. … You appreciate it now. Back then you was just like, 'Man, she's on me about every little thing.' When you get mad, you suck your teeth: 'Why's she doing this?' "
Karen could be even harder. As Andre became attached to the football field, his dedication in the classroom wavered. A phone call from school about Andre causing trouble in class became a breaking point. Karen raised her hand to rein her boy back in.
"I got the belt like I normally do … and I hit him with the belt," Karen said. "It hurt me so bad. When I finished, I went into my room and I just fell on my knees. And I was crying and I was like, 'Lord, I need your help. I don't know how to be a mother. I don't know how to be a father. But I need your help. I need you to teach me how to raise my son.' "
A week later, Andre wrote a school essay. He handed the paper to his mother. Everything she had been trying to get her child to understand was written down for Karen to see.
"The tears just began to flow," she said. "And I was like, 'OK, God. He gets it.' "