WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY

Unknown

WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY
SAID A LITTLE BOY ONE DAY
I'M FOLLOWING IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS,
AND I WANT TO KNOW THE WAY
SOMETIMES YOUR STEPS ARE VERY PLAIN
AND SOMETIMES HARD TO SEE.
SO WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY,
FOR YOU ARE LEADING ME.
I KNOW THAT ONCE YOU WALKED
THIS WAY, MANY YEARS AGO,
AND WHAT YOU DID ALONG THE WAY
I'D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW.
FOR SOMETIMES I AM TEMPTED
AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO
SO WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY,
FOR I MUST FOLLOW YOU
SOMETIME WHEN I AM ALL GROWN UP
YOU ARE LIKE I WANT TO BE
THEN I WILL KNOW A LITTLE BOY,
WHO WILL WANT TO FOLLOW ME.
AND I WOULD WANT TO LEAD HIM RIGHT,
AND HELP HIM TO BE TRUE.
SO WALK A LITTLE PLAINER, DADDY
FOR WE MUST FOLLOW YOU

Which House do You Live In?
Unknown

"I got two A's," the small boy cried.
His voice was filled with glee.
His father very bluntly asked,
"Why didn't you get three?"

"Mom. I've got the dishes done!"
The girl called from the door.
Her mother very calmly said,
"And did you sweep the floor?"

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away!"
His father asked him, with a shrug,
"Did you clean off the clay?"

The children in the house next door
Seem happy and content.
The same things happened over there,
But this is how it went:

"I got two A's," the small boy cried,
His voice was filled with glee.
His father proudly said, "That's great!
I'm glad you live with me!"

"Mom, I've got the dishes done!"
The girl called from the door.
Her mother smiled and softly said,
"Each day I love you more."

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away!"
His father answered with much joy,
"You've made my happy day!"

Children deserve a little praise
For tasks they're asked to do.
If they're to lead a happy life,
So much depends on you.

Childhood Doesn't Wait...

by Kathie Davis

I was sitting on a bench
while in a nearby mall,
When I noticed a young mother
with two children who were small.

The youngest one was whining,
"Pick me up," I heard him beg
but the mother's face grew angry
as the child clung to her leg.

"Don't hang on to me," she shouted
as she pushed his hands away,
I wish I'd had the courage
to go up to her and say...

"The time will come too quickly
when those little arms that tug,
Won't ask for you to hold them
or won't freely give a hug.

"The day will sneak up subtly
just as it did with me,
When you can't recall the last time
that your child sat on your knee.

"Like those sacred, pre-dawn feedings
when we cherished time alone
Our babies grow and leave behind
those special times we've known.

"So when your child comes to you
with a book that you can share,
Or asks that you would tuck him in
and help him say his prayer...

"When he comes to sit and chat
or would like to take a walk,
Before you answer that you can't
`cause there's no time to talk.

"Remember what all parents learn
so many times too late,
That years go by too quickly
and that childhood doesn't wait.

"Take every opportunity,
if one should slip away
Reach hard to get it back again,
don't wait another day."

I watched that mother walk away
her children followed near,
I hope she'll pick them up
before her chances disappear...

Little Eyes Upon You!

Unknown

There are little eyes upon you
and they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.
there are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And little children dreaming
of the day they'll be like you.

You're the little children's idol,
you're the wisest of the wise.
In their little minds about you
no suspicions ever rise.
They believe in you devoutly,
hold all you say and do;
they will say and do, in your way
when they're grown up just like you.

There's a wide-eyed little student
who believes you're always right;
and their eyes are always opened,
and they watch you day and night.
You are setting an example
every day in all you do;
For the little child who's waiting
to grow up to be like you.

Childhood Is A Time Of Innocence

~Joan Walsh Anglund~

Childhood is a time of innocence.

It is the morning time of life when all is change and wonder.

It begins with being born and ends with growing up.

It is a small world of pennies and wishes...

of sudden friendships...

and short sorrows.

It is big stairs and small footprints.

It is joy...and laughter...and make-believe.

Childhood is a magic place of dreams...

where everything is possible

and the best is just beginning.

It is a timesless place...

where minutes are not numbered

and the hours are sweet with happiness

Childhood is for exploring...

It is for running...and reaching...

and touching...and seeing...

and tasting...and hearing...and learning...

but, mostly, it is for growing.

Childhood is when we are young.

It is the happy hour...

the passing dream...

the tender time of innocence

that is part of us forever.

All I Ever Really Needed to Know

I Learned in Kindergarten

by Robert Fulgham

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.

These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and sane living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Children Learn What They Live

Unknown

If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy.

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 to appreciate.

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.

Watercolor Ponies

Unknown

There are watercolor ponies

On my refrigerator door.

And the shape of something I don't really recognize;

Brushed with careful little fingers

And put proudly on display.

A reminder to us all of how time flies.

Boys to men do quickly pass,

Childhood days go by so fast.

Hold this dear one while you may.

He'll someday, one day ride away.

I love you more than I can say,

More than words can tell.

And though I hold you close today,

You'll someday, one day ride away.

Oh, the pleasure of watchin' the children growin'

is mixed with a bitter cup

Of knowin' the watercolor ponies will one day,

-one day ride away.

WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

unknown
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake for me,
and I knew that little things are special things.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I heard you say a prayer,
and I believed there is a God I could always talk to.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I felt you kiss me goodnight,
and I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned that sometimes things hurt,
but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw that you cared,
and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked . . . .
and wanted to say thanks
for all the things I saw when you thought
I wasn't looking.

WHAT MATTERS

unknown

One hundred years from now,
it will not matter what kind of car I drove,
how much I had in my bank account,
nor what my clothes looked like.
But the world may be a little
better because I was important
in the life of a child.

~~The soul is healed by being with children.~~

If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd finger-paint more, and point the fingers 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 build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.

By Diane Loomans
from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen
& Patty Hansen

GIGGLE ...
..GIGGLE! !

"Click"

The boss needed to contact an employee about a computer problem. Upon calling the employee's home, he was greeted with a child's whispered voice on the first ring, "Hello."

"Is your Daddy home?" the boss quickly asked. "Yes", whispered the small voice. "May I talk with him?" the man asked. The small voice whispered, "No."

"Is your Mommy there?" "Yes", came the answer. "May I talk with her?" Again the small voice whispered, "No."

"Son, is there any one there besides you?" the boss asked. "Yes", whispered the child, "A policeman."

The boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he's busy", whispered the child. "Busy doing what?" asked the boss. "Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman", came the whispered answer.

"Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a helicopter he asked, "What is that noise?" "A hello-copper.", answered the whispering voice. "What is going on there?" asked the boss, now alarmed. The child answered, "The police just landed the hello-copper!"

Alarmed, concerned and more than just a little frustrated the boss asked, "Why are they there?"

After a muffled little giggle, the young voice replied in a very low whisper, "They're looking for me!"

The Handwriting on the Wall!!!

unknown

A weary mother returned from the store,
     Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.

      Awaiting her arrival was her eight-year-old son,
      Eager 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 paper 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.

      Stressed over 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!!!

All I Ever Really Needed to Know	Childhood Doesn't Wait
Childhood Is A Time Of Innocence	Children Learn What They Live
Walk a Little Plainer Daddy	Little Eyes Upon You
Watercolor Ponies	Which House do You Live In?
Family Circus	What Matters
Giggle Giggle	Handwriting on the Wall
When You Thought I Wasn't Looking	Always
The soul is healed	Books
I see our children as kites	Home
We pray for the children