Here are some wishes for you.
I'd really like you to have hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
I hope someday you know the love of a pony and the pain of saddle sores. May you learn to appreciate the magic of a firefly and the majesty of a mountain.
I truly wish nobody gives you a brand new car when you turn sixteen and I hope you have a job by then. I hope your parents insist that you wash the dishes, make your bed and mow the lawn.
I hope nobody gives you money for your Bar Mitzvah.
This mean, old-fashioned man believes it would be good for you to see a baby calf or colt be born, and to see your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you'll have to share a bedroom with your younger brother or sister. Sure it's all right to draw a line down the middle of the room indicating your half of the space, but when they want to crawl under the covers at night with you because they are scared, I hope you'll let them.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do so safely. On rainy days, I hope you have to hitch a ride with your mom. And I hope she doesn't have to drop you off two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as "uncool" as your mother.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I truly wish that you learn to entertain yourself early in life, by digging in the dirt or reading a book.
Here's hoping you discover how glorious church can make a Sunday. May you experience that feel-good feeling of putting part of your allowance in the collection plate and of singing hymns off key at the top of your voice.
I hope you learn humility by getting humiliated and that you find out about honesty by getting cheated. May you learn to vacuum the carpet, wash the car and change the oil. I sure hope you go to college but not if it is just to avoid the real world. Oh, and I look forward to seeing you in a Fourth of July parade.
I trust you will learn how to use a computer but won't forget to learn how to add and subtract in your head. I don't care what you want to be when you grow up but if you want to be a doctor, I hope it's not just because they make a lot of money.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl. And when you talk back to your mother, I hope you learn what soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain and burn your hand on the stove. May you get beat when you compete, and may you never experience an undefeated season. Win or lose, may you look forward to the next competition.
I hope that you get trapped in a smoke-filled room and you get sick when some stupid person blows cigarette smoke in your face. I don't care if you try a beer once but I sure hope you don't like it too much. And if a friend offers you a joint, I hope you are smart enough to realize that he is not your friend.
I sure hope that you take the time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or to go fishing with your uncle. May you feel sorrow at a funeral and know the real meaning of Christmas. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through the neighbor's plate-glass window but I hope she hugs you and gives you a kiss when you bring her a plaster-of-Paris mold of your handprint for a present.
May you laugh at the rodeo clown, cry when it hurts, and swell with pride at the sight of Old Glory.
These things I wish for you ... tough times, disappointment, and hard work, and most of all ... love.
Adapted from "These Things I Wish for You" by Lee Pitts
I'd really like you to have hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.
I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
I hope someday you know the love of a pony and the pain of saddle sores. May you learn to appreciate the magic of a firefly and the majesty of a mountain.
I truly wish nobody gives you a brand new car when you turn sixteen and I hope you have a job by then. I hope your parents insist that you wash the dishes, make your bed and mow the lawn.
I hope nobody gives you money for your Bar Mitzvah.
This mean, old-fashioned man believes it would be good for you to see a baby calf or colt be born, and to see your old dog put to sleep. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you'll have to share a bedroom with your younger brother or sister. Sure it's all right to draw a line down the middle of the room indicating your half of the space, but when they want to crawl under the covers at night with you because they are scared, I hope you'll let them.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do so safely. On rainy days, I hope you have to hitch a ride with your mom. And I hope she doesn't have to drop you off two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as "uncool" as your mother.
If you want a slingshot, I hope your dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one. I truly wish that you learn to entertain yourself early in life, by digging in the dirt or reading a book.
Here's hoping you discover how glorious church can make a Sunday. May you experience that feel-good feeling of putting part of your allowance in the collection plate and of singing hymns off key at the top of your voice.
I hope you learn humility by getting humiliated and that you find out about honesty by getting cheated. May you learn to vacuum the carpet, wash the car and change the oil. I sure hope you go to college but not if it is just to avoid the real world. Oh, and I look forward to seeing you in a Fourth of July parade.
I trust you will learn how to use a computer but won't forget to learn how to add and subtract in your head. I don't care what you want to be when you grow up but if you want to be a doctor, I hope it's not just because they make a lot of money.
I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl. And when you talk back to your mother, I hope you learn what soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain and burn your hand on the stove. May you get beat when you compete, and may you never experience an undefeated season. Win or lose, may you look forward to the next competition.
I hope that you get trapped in a smoke-filled room and you get sick when some stupid person blows cigarette smoke in your face. I don't care if you try a beer once but I sure hope you don't like it too much. And if a friend offers you a joint, I hope you are smart enough to realize that he is not your friend.
I sure hope that you take the time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or to go fishing with your uncle. May you feel sorrow at a funeral and know the real meaning of Christmas. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through the neighbor's plate-glass window but I hope she hugs you and gives you a kiss when you bring her a plaster-of-Paris mold of your handprint for a present.
May you laugh at the rodeo clown, cry when it hurts, and swell with pride at the sight of Old Glory.
These things I wish for you ... tough times, disappointment, and hard work, and most of all ... love.
Adapted from "These Things I Wish for You" by Lee Pitts
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