Listening to Our Children...Our Teachers

I'll start by sharing that the first day of school went off without a hitch. As expected, they hit the ground running! My daughter (5th grade) had math homework, while my son (7th grade) had no homework...but he brought home a huge envelope of homework for me! Tonight, he may not be so lucky.

As I was clearing our school "action" files of last year's notes, reminders, schedules, projects, treasures, etc., to get ready for the new school year, I found the following poem and wanted to share it with you. It is a reminder and lesson that we can't hear often enough.

We can learn so much from our children...if we only listen.

Enjoy!

Listening
A dozen times he must have said,
"Guess what I did today!"
And just as often I replied,
"Not now, Dear, run and play."
And when he'd finished all his chores,
And wanted praise from me,
I was too busy with my own
To look at him and see
That he had needs that I could fill,
Had I but understood
That children need attention most
When they are being good.
But just today he set me straight
With words said lovingly,
"When I have something I must tell,
Please, Daddy, look at me!"
And then I saw in his sweet eyes
His need for me to know
That my attention and my time
Was what he needed so.
"I love you," were the words he said;
"Please say you love me, too."
And when I did he smiled and said,
"Thanks, Dad, I know you do."
But what a truth he taught to me
In his sweet, childish way,
And now I try to listen when
There's something he must say.
~ Hilda Sanderson ~