“Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is a way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples, and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.”
~ William Martin, The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents.
Reblogged this on Writing Out Loud and commented:
Go to college, get a job, but mostly know how to split a peach without using a utensil. That would be my advice
I need to give this to parents of my grand kids ! Thanks! ❤️
A perfect poem to offer to parents who are just having their first child.
Wise words from the ages! Thank you for sharing them.
Reblogged this on Find Your Middle Ground and commented:
This is wonderful advice for parents in this day and age of striving and achieving. Showing our children how to live life fully.
Val x