Life, love, and laughter -- what priceless gifts to give our children.

Phyllis Dryden

If you raise your children to feel that they can accomplish
any goal or task they decide upon,
you will have succeeded as a parent and
you will have given your children
the greatest of all blessings.

Brian Tracy

     A Child Lives What He Learns     

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns appreciation.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

          ~Original Author Unknown

          Handwriting on the Wall
A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8 year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother had done.

"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J. took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It's on the new wallpaper you just hung in the den.
I told him you'd be mad at having to do it again."

She let out a moan and furrowed her brow,
"Where is your little brother right now?"
She emptied her arms and with a purposeful stride,
She marched to his closet where he had gone to hide.

She called his full name as she entered his room.
He trembled with fear--he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper and how she had saved.

Lamenting all the work, it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room, totally distraught!

She headed for the den, to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read, pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, "I love Mommy," surrounded by a heart.

Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it,
With an empty picture frame, hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed --to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.

          ~Original Author Unknown

          To My Grown-Up Son

My hands were busy through the day.
I didn't have much time to play
The little games you asked me to.
I didn't have much time for you.

I'd wash your clothes, I'd sew and cook,
But when you'd bring your picture book
And ask me please to share your fun,
I'd say "A little later, son".

I'd tuck you in all safe at night,
Hear your prayers, turn out the light,
Then tiptoe softly to the door.
I wish I'd stayed a minute more.

For life is short, and years rush past.
A little child grows up so fast.
No longer are they at your side,
Their precious secrets to confide.

The picture books are put away,
There are no childrens games to play.
No good-night kiss, no thoughts to hear.
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands, once busy, now lie still.
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I might go back and do
The little things you asked me to.

          ~Author Debra Barone-Atkinson

          If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first,

and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more,

and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting

and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch

and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less

and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious,

and seriously play.
I would run through more fields

and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging

and less tugging.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
I would be firm less often,

and affirm much more.
I'd model less about the love of power,
And more about the power of Love.

          ~Author Diane Loomans

          First Day of School

She started school this morning,
And she seemed so very small.
As I walked there beside her
In the Kindergarten hall.

And as she took her place beside
the others in the class,
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw her as
She first learned how to walk.
The words that we alone made out
When she began to talk.

This little girl so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems as though she must have grown
To girlhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred by hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar her first big day

Oh how I longed to stay with her
And keep her by the hand
To lead her through the places
That she couldn't understand.

And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride.
I knew she would no longer be
A baby by my side.

But she must have her chance to live,
To work her problems out,
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about.

And I must share my little girl
With friends and work and play;
She's not a baby anymore --
She's in Kindergarten today.

          ~Original Author Unknown

         A Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something
that no on can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.

          ~Author Helen Steiner Rice