THE BLANK PAGE

A child's life is a blank page.
What will the first words be?

Shut up!
Get out of my sight.
Go play.
Don't touch!

You, that child's parent, write upon
These words teach fear.
They register unwantedness.
They say, "I don't love you."

Let your words teach gentleness and beauty.
Let them supply high moral principles,
courage to meet life's disappointments, pride in a job well done.
Use words that reflect your love:

Beautiful, son!
You did a great job.
Don't worry--we'll clean it up together.
I'm so proud of you!
When your child is grown, you will look at him
and see the words you wrote on that blank page.
Write words you will be proud of!