"We tried so hard to make
things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren,
I'd like better.
I'd really like for them
to know about hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover
meatloaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn humility
by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least
one time you can see puppies born and your dog put to sleep. I hope
you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share
a bedroom with your younger brother.
And it's all right if
you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants
to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let
him.
When you want to see a
movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you
live in a town where you can do it safely.
On rainy days when you
have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two
blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your
Mom.
If you want a slingshot,
I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I hope
you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
When you learn to use computers,
I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get teased by
your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk
back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee
climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on
a frozen flagpole.
I don't care if you try
a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.
And if a friend offers
you drugs or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time
to sit on a porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle. May
you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
I hope your mother punishes
you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she
hugs you and kisses you at Christmastime when you give her a plaster mold
of your hand.
These things I wish for
you - tough times and hard work, disappointment and happiness. To
me, it's the only way to appreciate life."
Written with a
pen.
Sealed with a kiss."
