Thursday, January 8

A Childhood

I want my children to have

~ two parents in a nice sized house
~ the beach just a short distance away
~ mango, grapefruit and avocado trees in the backyard
~ family spread around the world
~ an early knowledge of roots, history
~ openness about their bodies and their sexuality
~ grandparents who bless them with all kinds of wisdom
~ access to free art, music, dance, photography, creative writing classes
~ backyard front yards neighbor's yards to roam
~ bicycles
~ dinner at the table
~ a vegetable patch
~ each other
~ attendance at an excellent public school where their teachers who know exactly which books will change their lives
~ an early, almost immediate and extensive traveling experience
~ summers with their grandparents
~ hammocks in the shade
~ weekly trips to the library
~ a role in making meals
~ the understanding that you earn your keep
~ the opportunity to attend a school they love
~ the belief that love is endless and infinite
~ the choice to nurture their spirituality in whichever ways they want
~ the opportunity to try every at least one time so long as it doesn't jeopardize their life
~ their creativity cultivated without the presence of toys
~ an arsenal of colored pencils, markers, crayons, pastels, chalk and watercolor paint
~ no fear of water
~ days off from school to hang out with their parents
~ bagged lunches
~ all kinds of pets
~ neighbors who speak different languages and beliefs but still invite them in for a snack because they've been running around all day
~ a long rope, a ball, a hula hoop
~ homeopathic remedies that heal them when they're ill
~ a father who is confident, charismatic and generous
~ a mama who is the most perfect person in the world to them
~ sleepovers
~ music playing
~ play sessions that their parents take an active part in
~ a deep, unbreakable compassion for other people
~ family traditions
~ the knowing that things will get better
~ hour-long embraces
~ head massages from their mama
~ bad jokes from their daddy
~ an unbelievable amount of cultural and ethnic diversity amongst their friends
~ appreciation for what they do have instead of a wanting of what they don't

because these are the things my parents graciously gave to me

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this. My husband and I have been thinking about the life we want for our daughter, as well as ourselves as a family. Being in NY has been amazing, but so many of the things that would provide a much calmer lifestyle (and a yard) are not available to us here. This is very beautiful and children deserve beautiful lives.

Miss A said...

You know, upon reading this, I have to say that I actually had a lot of those things growing up. Not every bit, not perfectly, but damn, damn good.

Those weekly bike rides to the library and Mondays with grandma probably did much more for me than any sort of guided reading group or mandated standard test ever could have. I hope for these things for every kid.

Lenoxave said...

How lovely. Every child should have this wonderful list be a reality. What a blessing.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful B.
love the words
again and again
thoughts that confirm my own
say yes
baby
babies
black baby girls are what I really want (boy's are fine too)...they're going to be AWESOME! imagine growing up with Sasha and Malia in the 80's--right before crack became cool and destroyed my family and so many others.
it's a great time to be alive! i'm gonna start writing more. going to brazil next month. will send you love from across the water.
keep on keeping on....