In the Eyes of Our Children Oct/11
A Grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own, so she likes other peoples’ boys and girls.
A Grandfather is a man Grandmother; he goes for walks with the boys and they talk about fishing and tractors.
Grandmothers don’t have anything to do but be there. They are old so they shouldn’t play hard or run.
They never say “Hurry up”.
Usually they are fat, but not too fat to do up children’s’ shoes.
They wear glasses and funny underwear, and they take their teeth and gums off.
They don’t have to be smart, only answer questions like why dogs hate cats, and why God isn’t married.
When they read to us, they don’t skip bits, or mind if it’s the same story over and over again.
Everyone should have one, especially if you don’t have a television because Grandmothers are the only group who have time.
- Written for a competition, some years ago, by an Eight year old boy.
In our complicated rushed lives I think it’s important to remember the simple things in life. Kids like, and need simplicity, I feel.
“I learned what is obvious to a child. That each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals” Nicholas Sparks
“If you have two loaves of bread, sell one and buy a lily” Chinese proverb
“I’ve got six pence, jolly jolly six pence, I’ve got sixpence to last me all my life” from a song, writer unknown
“All animals, except man [but, especially children!), know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it” The way of the flesh, Ch19 Samuel Butler (1835-1902)
“There are two things to aim at in life, 1st, to get what you want and after that, to ENJOY it [like Ice Cream]” Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts 1931
“Children pick up words as pigeons peas and utter them again as God shall please” Old English proverb
“I always say that love starts at home: family first, and then your own town or city. It is easy to love people who are far away but it is not always easy to love those who live with us or right next to us” Mother Teresa, A Simple Path
“All mothers and fathers, whatever their stations in life, can make the most significant of contributions by imprinting the spirit of service on the souls of their children, so that the children grow up committed to making a difference” Stephen R Covey PHD
“Do we realise that our child, our husband, our wife, our father. Our mother, our sister or brother, has a need for… understanding, for the warmth of our hands?” Mother Teresa
“A child taught to care for weaker creatures will grow in empathy and respect for life” Pam Brown
“The mother’s battle for her child – with sickness, with poverty, with war, with all the forces of exploitation and callousness that cheapen human life – needs to become a common human battle, waged in love and in the passion for survival” Adrienne Rich
We try to give our children everything – when all they need is love and certainty. Pam Brown
And here are some wise and lovely words written from the hearts of children. Thanks to Nanette Newman and her books (God bless you / Lots of love / All our love) on what children say and how they think.
“I went swimming but my body kept wanting to drown” Jim, aged 7
“Jesus is too tired to come back again, he’s gone off people” Sandra, aged 9
“Old people and children need to be loved more than those in between” Anna, aged 10
“I hate spoilt children because they have everything I want” David, aged 8
“All my clothes have had other people in them” Poalo, aged 7
“My mother says ‘she’ is cold and then she makes ‘me’ put on a coat” Colin, aged 7
“When you are a baby you can see your mummy’s bosom but when you grow up it’s not allowed and I think that’s a silly rule” Vivienne, aged 6
“When my Daddy was driving his car we saw a fox lying in the road and nobody stopped, you should always stop and say goodbye to dead things” Liz, aged 8
“You couldn’t make everyone in the world love each other, they don’t even get on in blocks of flats” Lois, aged 7
“I would like to marry my dog but it isn’t allowed, is it?” Bruce, aged 6
“You should never help a baby to walk because it falls down and cuts its knee and you always get a smack” Corry, aged 6
“I think you can fall in love if you have your picture taken in front of the church” Eric, aged 5
“Love is important, because if people did not love each other, there wouldn’t be any people” Lynn
“True love is when something dies and you still remember it, like my hamster” Bobby, aged 6
“If only the world were made of love” Louise, aged 7
“I saw a book once with all drawings in it, about falling in love, I think you have to have eggs” Vera, aged 5
“Love is hard to do to people you don’t particularly like” Deborah, aged 10
“Love, it makes you cough a lot” Peter, aged 5
“Guinea Pigs like peace” Emma, aged 4
“I wish they would declare love, instead of war” Pearl
“My Daddy does love me but he’s very busy making money” David, aged 7
“Babies need to be loved by their mother, in case everybody hates them when they grow up” Norman
“You have to love your own baby because everyone else finds them a nuisance” Patrick, aged 8
“You love and care for me and so I love and care for you too” Ciaran, aged 7, my son
“I love her Mam, I don’t know why, I just do” Scott, aged 5, my son
And for all those children out there desperate for love right now. The children where they may have parents that have don’t know or have forgotten how to love and so neglect or even abuse no, the luckier ones perhaps being the ones that are just forgotten about, with no family at all.
Please let us spare some moments to think about all of our children in this world and send them ALL our love tonight and not only tonight but as much as we can remember to in every moment. Our thoughts and feelings are more powerful than we realise; if we focus on giving the best of our well wishes to our worlds children it will make a difference. We can hope that our ‘sparks of light’ will be received and ignite the beginnings of a better lives for children in need all over the world and for all of our children everywhere and for us all.
“Light up, light up, as if you have a choice. Even if you cannot hear my voice, I’ll be right beside you dear” from the song Run by Leona Lewis (attached)
Posted 18th Nov 2011, Children in Need day
