Ten Ways to Tell that You’ve Had a Successful Summer Recess

You know you’ve had a successful summer recess when:

1. You spent less time in the emergency room this year than last year
2. Your house looks like Genghis Khan rode through
3. You have bright, shiny new graffiti on your walls
4. Your laundry is threatening to break out of the laundry room
5. You still can’t find where that smell is coming from
6. Your cupboards are bare
7. Your neighbours are still talking to you
8. You managed to put together an acceptable school uniform
9. You opened your last jar of coffee on the day they went back to school
10. And despite all that, all you can think about is going back to bed to catch up on some sleep!

Congratulations. You’re a survivor.

Long Lonely Road

So far have we come, but so far yet to go

A road, Oh so lonely, that very few know

The challenges faced when you’re searching inside

Where so many others their painful lives hide

 

Afraid to be thinking, their lives filled with sound

To smother the mem’ries, that inside abound

They try to forget all the troubles they’ve faced

E’en though all the turmoil is etched on their face

 

They cannot abide seeing others distressed

It only reminds them how their lives are messed

And so, they give up, leaving suff’rers alone

With no one to comfort or give them a home

 

A child that’s in need is a poor lonely soul

With nothing to live for, a life with no goal

Till in steps a carer who’ll give of their best

To give them a place where they’ll find peace and rest

 

The challenge is facing your own distant past

To give the poor children a love that will last

A love that will conquer the pain and the hurt

The lack of attention, the hunger, the dirt

 

Deep into their conscience the carer must dig

To battle their fears that the task is too big

To deal with their own long held issues and pain

To stop them from rising again and again

 

A long, lonely road that so few can travel

To help these young ones as their lives unravel

So few can make it, despite all the beauty

A long, lonely road that is not just duty

 

Fighting the system, even fighting their friends

The work of a child advocate never ends

The dangers and threats may seem never-ending

Often it seems that the rules just need bending

 

For Mother and Father are just facts of life

If babies are loved or their lives filed with strife

But Mum and Dad titles, they have to be earned

By love and by courage that will not be turned

 

So search deep inside. Find the courage to act

Make love for your children a matter of fact

And if you do care for a child not your own

Remember, this road you don’t travel alone

Empty Boxes

Who needs lots of toys?

Empty boxes make the best

Trains, cars, and castles.

Grandpa’s Way–New Beginnings–Unique Experiences

We left the last article with the thought that everyone involved in raising children has a unique experience, whether they are the parents or the children. The next article in the series is now available on my self-hosted blog.

To avoid missing any of the series, you may want to follow my new blog.

Grandpa’s Way – New Beginnings – Raising Responsible Adults

This is the second in a series of articles looking at the issues faced by grandparents, especially those who find themselves in a position of having to become parents to their grandchildren. You can read the introduction, here.

As mentioned in the introduction, from now on, I will only be posting the full articles on my self-hosted blog.

perspective

Children absorb so much from their environment, then we wonder why they behave as they do, and we blame them for the way they are. I have watched nasty bullies turn into lovely little people, mainly because their environment was changed. This story also proves that we don’t have to be what our parents made us. We can overcome our past.

I didn't have my glasses on....

i followed two 4-year olds at the back of the line, as my class made their way down the school hallway. one was crying. the other reached over, took his hand, and walked with him silently for a minute. the crying continued. the hand-holder decided to take a different approach and share his own tale of woe to make his friend feel better. “hey, when i was a baby, my mom never even played with me. she just wanted to stay in her room with the door closed and watch t.v.,” he told him. (how does he know this? how sad, and it really explains a lot, i thought to myself.) the other little guy stopped crying and they continued on in silence once again, hands swinging. 

If you think you have it tough, read history books.   – Bill Maher

 

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