To My Son: Matthew

Daughter Writings
Hodgepodge
Old People Writings
Different Writings
Teacher Writings
To My Son
At first you needed my strong arms,
And they were willing too;
God’s Fatherhood I came to see
When you were cuddled close to me.
And then you needed just my hand –
A toddler at my side;
How proud you were to stand up straight
And try to match your father’s gait!
At last you sought my voice –
A word of counsel kind;
You had a body tall and fine
With strength that far exceeded mine.
And now you have just my prayer –
Daily to God I say,
“May this son be son of thine,
And hold thy hand as he held mine.”




My Son Grows Up
My hands were busy through the day,
I didn't have much time to play
The little games you asked me to,
But when you'd bring your teddy bear
And ask me to please share in your fun,
I'd say, " A little later, son."
I'd tuck you in all safe at night
And hear your prayers, turn out the light,
Tiptoe softly to the door...
I wish I'd stayed for one minute more.
For life's too short, the years rush past ....
A little boy grows up so fast.
No longer is he at your side.
His precious secrets to confide.
The teddy bears are put away,
No good-night kiss, no prayers to hear...
That all belongs to yesteryear.
My hands, once busy, now are still.
The days are long and hard to fill,
I wish I could go back
and do the little things you asked me to.





WHAT IS A BOY?

After a male baby has grown out of long clothes
and triangles and has acquired pants, freckles,
and so much dirt that relatives do not dare to
A boy is nature's answer to that false belief that
there kiss it between meals, it becomes a boy.
is no such thing as perpetual motion.
A boy can run like a deer, swim like a fish,
climb like a squirrel, balk like a mule, bellow like a bull,
eat like a pig, or act like a jackass,
according to climatic conditions.
The world is so full of boys that it is impossible to
touch off a firecracker, strike up a band, or pitch a ball game
without collecting about a thousand of them.
Boys are not ornamental. They are useful.
If it were not for boys the newspapers would go undelivered and unread,
and a thousand picture shows would go bankrupt.
Boys are useful in running errands. A boy can easily do the family errands
with the aid of five or six adults. The zest with which a boy
does an errand is equalled only by the speed of a turtle on a July day.
The boy is a natural spectator. He watches parades,
fires, fights, ball games, automobiles, boats and airplanes with equal fervor.
He will not watch the clock. The man who invents a click that will
stand on its head and sing a song when it strikes
will win the undying gratitude of millions of families
whose boys are forever coming home to dinner about supper time.
A boy is a piece of skin stretched over an appetite,
and he eats only when awake.
He is a growing animal of superlative promise, to be fed,
watered and kept warm,; a joy forever, a nuisance, the problem of our times,
the hope of a nation. Every boy born is evidence
that God is not yet discouraged of man.
A noise covered with smudges, he is called a tornado because he comes in
at the most unexpected time, hits the most unexpected places, and leaves
everything a wreck behind him.
Boys faithfully imitate their Dads in spite of all efforts to teach them good manners.
Boys are not popular, except with their own parents, but they do have
many fine qualities. You can absolutely rely
on a boy if you know what to rely on.
Boys are very durable. A boy, if not washed too often and if kept in a
cool, quiet place after each accident, will survive broken bones, hornets,
swimming holes, fights and nine helpings of pie.
A boy loves to trade things.
He will trade frogs, fishhooks, marbles,
broken knives and snakes for anything that is priceless or worthless.
When he grows up he will trade puppy love,
energy, warts, bashfulness and a cast iron stomach
for a bay window, pride, ambition, pretense, and a bald
head--and will immediately begin to say that boys are not what they were in
the good old days.



Why God Made Little Boys

God made a world out of His dreams
Of wonderous mountains, oceans, and streams,
Praires and plains and wooded land,
Then paused and thought,
"I need someone to stand
On top of mountains, to conquer the seas,
Explore the plains and climb trees,
Someone to start out small and grow,
Sturdy, strong like a tree" and so...
He created little boys, full of spirit and fun,
To explore and conquer, to romp and run,
With dirty faces, banged up chins
With courageous hearts and boyish grins
When He had completed the task He'd begun
He surely said, "That's a job well done!