
Children change everything
A complete shift in priorities
Someone is counting on you
Depending on you
Their very survival
Most parents take this on
With pride
With resolve
Others try to simply make it work
Like taking on another job
Another checkbox in a list
Some will reprioritize
Putting the child first in all things
But hold onto some part of the before
Drinking with the boys on Friday nights
Restoring that old car
Or getting the boat ready in the spring
But most often
This change
Kills dreams
Aspirations
How can I possibly
Who’s time am I wasting
What’s more important
These formative years
That’s right…formative
What foundations are we laying
Be a good soldier
Be a good consumer
Be a good student
Color in the lines
Fit into the cookie cutter
That dreams are transient
That they should
Should
Should
Should
Be a good dad or mom
Have their 2.3 kids
Balance their checkbook
Tuck some into a 401k
Perfect attendance
Buy the latest and greatest
Poetry is a phase and not a need
Be a creator of needs
A dutiful cog
In a widget factory
Who knows…maybe Disney
Next year
For now, practice assembling
A perfect child
Blindfolded
On a cot
You could bounce a quarter off of
Formative…
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Make them artists
Involve them in your dream
Teach them to love language
Form
Movement
Music
Teach them independence
Self-soothing
Self-entertaining
Self-reliance
Share your joy
Share your love
Of humanity
Of humanness
Trade WiFi connectivity
For soul to soul connectivity
Don’t feel bad
For spending time on expression
For asking for 5 more minutes
To finish that poem
Teach beauty is equal to duty
Maybe you’ll achieve your dream
Maybe they’ll learn to fight for theirs
Formative…