Success and failure are two sides of the same coin. Everyone has equal chance of getting either side; however, receiving the proper guidance and support when he or she needs makes the ultimate difference. ‘The Other Wes Moore’ tells a story about two boys with similar names, similar backgrounds, growing up in similar neighborhood in Baltimore. Despite their many similarities, the choices they each made are what granted them separate fates. The author, Wes Moore, ends up as a graduate of John Hopkins University, a White House fellow, an army officer and the co-author of the book. The other Wes Moore ends up as a thief, drug dealer and a convicted killer. It is not luck that determines their different fate in life, but rather their mothers who influenced their futures. In ‘The Other Wes Moore’, the author Wes Moore illustrates that if children do not have strong parental figures and proper guidance, they will not be successful in life. Among the numerous factors that led the two Wes Moores to different paths, their mothers played the most vital role. The other Wes’s mother, Mary, does not provide the guidance that her son requires so desperately. After skipping school and partying with his friends, Wes returned to his house visibly intoxicated. Instead of being concerned, Mary and her boyfriend seemed to be entertained by Wes’s state saying, “Well, at least now you know how bad it feels and you will stay away from drinking” (Moore 62). Instead of giving some sort of punishment, or talking to him about smoking and alcohol, Mary ignored the situation. She allowed him to suffer through his hangover, hoping that he will learn his lesson. As she did not address her concern directly, Wes believed that alcohol and drugs are allowed to use, not only for him, but for others as well. Eventually he got involved in drug dealing. When the author Wes Moore misbehaved in a privileged private school; however, his mother Joy sent him to military school. He stated, “I knew my mother was considering sending me away, but I never thought she’d actually do it” (Moore 87). As the author Wes Moore’s mother, Joy learnt about his academic and disciplinary probation, absences from classes, punching his sister, she did not hesitate to take some actions. She slapped him and decided to send him to military school. For the author Wes Moore, his mother made clear what is acceptable or not. She directly addressed the situation and guided him to the right path. Similarly, Mary, the mother of the other Wes Moore ignored the situation when other Wes’s interest in drugs escalated to becoming a drug dealer. Even after Wes’s luxurious items and money clearly pointed out the obvious, Mary refused to accept and hoped that, “Wes would be different” (Moore 71). Mary’s silence indirectly gave other Wes Moore permission to continue drug dealing even though she expected him to be different. Instead of attempting to solve the problem by talking to Wes, and finding out the truth about his job, her denial to address the truth indicated the lack of parental skills. She waited much too late to make a difference in her son’s life, On the contrary, the author Wes Moore’s mother, Joy convinced him to give the military school a chance. When he tried to escape after being there for four days, she informed him, “ too many people have sacrificed in order you [him] to be there” (Moore 95). The author’s mother never waited too late to take the right decision. She showed her guidance and support when her child really needed that. Her ambition and supervision never led the author to fall into wrong path. Eventually the author himself even realized the importance of his mother behind his successful life. Even though both Wes Moores lacked their fathers who could have potentially helped guide them into better directions, for the author, Wes’s mom took on the role of his mother and also his father and directed him to a prosperous life. When a