WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM MY CHILDREN

What I have learned from my children through their years in my care
Is that days are but minutes that they long to share;
That quantity of time is what they most seek
Over the quality of task I so often bespeak;
That it’s through the struggles that patience is learned
And experience brings wisdom discerned;
That mix-matched clothing is quite okay,
And wearing pajamas to school is not risqué;
That one giggle can brighten even the worst of days,
Bringing a hopeful perspective that laughter conveys;
That kindness must be taught
Through my words, actions and thought;
That splashing in puddles is actually quite fun,
As my children and I dance to the Charleston;
That playdough is therapeutic to the mind,
And ice cream sundaes for dinner is quite refined;
That reading the same story 2,389,416 times in a lifetime won’t actually harm me,
But singing the same song 2,389,416 times in one day is just crazy;
That the box really is the best toy of all time,
And even the littlest of children can learn how to climb;
That being able to play in life is really the best
For learning how to work well and get good rest;
That it’s not whether we color in or out of the lines
but the variety of color we add to the designs;
That a child’s “I love you” is the sweetest sound I’ll ever hear,
While “I hate you” is like the piercing wound of a spear;
That one harsh word will stay with my child for years,
While one well-timed hug ends all the tears;
That gentle words do turn away wrath
And surprise me with a new relational path;
That dancing in the rain is a most necessary of rites
For teaching my children about life’s delights;
That my children desire my presence more than they say,
Even as they grow older and desire their own way;
That they can bring out my worst,
But fortunately also my best will be dispersed;
That they require more than just my care,
For raising them is a communal affair;
That they help me to see how I am flawed
And in need of the help of others and God;
That they are for my benefit,
For they teach me how to submit;
For what I have learned from my children I now know
Is that they are God’s gift to me so I can continue to grow.