A Parents’ Alphabet by Carol Hurst
A is for arms, Arms that hold and arms that support and arms that push when they have to.
B is for Books, which should abound in every home; and for Boredom, which can’t stay long if books are there.
C is for the Children, and the Caring and the Crying which sometimes come together all at once.
D is for Doors, which you sometimes have to help them open and through which they have to go someday never to return unchanged; and for Discipline and Dignity, which you owe every child.
E is for Everything you hope for them; for the Easier you hope it will be for them; and for Education, which takes place at least as much at home as in school.
F is for Foolish mistakes you make with your kids; and for the Freedom they must have to make their own.
G is for Grandparents, who can add tradition and wisdom to children’s lives; and for Growth, which parents and kids can experience together.
H is for Home, which is only sometimes a house where a child feels wanted and loved.
I is for Ignorance, which darkens the world and is sometimes mistaken for innocence.
J is for Jealousy, which creeps into so many relationships; and for Joy, which can push it out.
K is for Kickball, and tag and hide-and-seek and all those other adult-less games kids need to play; and for Kissing, and hugging, which nobody does enough of.
L is for Love, of course.
M is for the Memory all parents have of what childhood was like for them; and for Money, which can never substitute for love no matter how lavishly given; and for Manners which make living easier.
N is for Nurturing, the giving of love and care which only sometimes comes naturally.
O is for Occupation, which takes so much of your time; and for the openness which exists when kids and parents really work at it.
P is for Presents, which are easy to give; and for Presence, which is harder; and for Parenthood, which is only partly biological function; and for the Patience it takes to see you through it.
Q is for Questions, which are so easy to turn off and so hard to turn back on.
R is for Rest, which it seems never comes while the kids are young; and for Reward, which you get when you look in their faces or hold their hands.
S is for Summer, which seems endless; and for School, where you ought to feel welcome; for the Stories you know but seldom tell; and for Shoulders, which sometimes are drenched with tears.
T is for Time, which there never seems to be enough of; and for Teachers who try to understand.
U is for the Upper hand, which you try so hard to keep; and for the Understanding that you try so hard to have.
V is for the Virtue of overcoming all those roadblocks life seems to throw just when everything’s going well.
W is for the Whys, which can drive you up the wall; and the Wisdom it takes to answer them.
X is for the X-ray of the broken bone you both cried over; and for the Xtra love it takes to be a parent.
Y is Yelling, which helps only temporarily, and for being Young which is only partly a matter of years.
Z is for the end, the end of the alphabets, the end of child-hood, but never the end of love.
