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really like you to know about hand me down clothes, homemade jam & root beer and Monday night 'leftovers'. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your brother, and learn that it’s all right if you have to draw a line right down the middle of the room to “mark your territory”. I hope you learn that a pop, an ice-cream and a few chips once a week is a big big treat; any more is too much. I hope you have just enough toys so that each one is special. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn, and wash the car and I really really hope nobody gives you a car when you graduate. I hope you learn that the 2nd hand bicycle you fix up is your “dream machine”. I hope you have to walk to school and that you live where you can do so safely. I hope your weekly allowance is just enough to cover the treat of a matinee. I hope you learn “you’re not made of sugar and you won’t “melt” if you walk to school in the rain. When you go out to play, and your little sister wants to tag along, I hope you’ll let her, but make sure she doesn’t get run over by a car. I hope you learn that hide and go seek and kick the can in the dark are too much fun. I hope your dad teaches you to hammer a nail and polish your shoes. |
I
hope you grow up with and learn to love a variety of music, except for opera. If you’d like a bow & arrow, slingshot, or a kite, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of just buying it. I hope you learn that fun and adventure can be had simply by digging in dirt, climbing a tree, and reading books. I hope you learn that anything worth having should be repairable. I hope you learn that helping out around the family home and shoveling snow for the old lady next door are NOT “chores”. When you talk back to your mother, I hope you learn that Ivory-Soap is not tasty & if you use foul language, that mustard powder tastes yucky. I hope you get to make scones with your Grandma and go fishing with your uncle. I hope you learn to pay for your mistakes when you throw a baseball and break a window. I hope you learn that the old retired gentleman down the street has a green thumb, can repair anything and was wounded during the Great War. I hope you have to sweat at a minimum wage job to realize the value of a dollar, and that education is important. I hope you learn that snorkel diving at a rocky old beach is a great advernture. When you learn to use a calculator, I hope you remember to add and subtract the easy stuff with your head. I hope you find something you believe in so much it’s worth fighting for. L.R.2002.06.16 |