Childhood Is . . .

Artist ~ Donald Zolan

CHILDHOOD is a time for leisure ...

• a time for golden hours in the sunshine
• for lying on one's back in the green grass to watch the clouds form countless images against the blue, blue sky
• a time to run a stick through the mud
• to watch a pollywog become a frog
• to count the slats in a neighbour's fence
• a time to disregard time, for a child needs only the *right now*, *the soon* and *tomorrow* to guide him
• A time to climb a tree and be higher than the tallest adult
• to marvel at the message of gladness which spring brings, or the hush of winter's snow
• to marvel at the daisy's petals, chanting the words, "He loves me ... he loves me not."

Sisters by Susan Rios

CHILDHOOD is a time for growth

• a time to be extra sensitive to the wonders of the world ... to take pleasure in its beauty
• A time to grow at one's own speed
• to make new friends and to sort out new and conflicting ideas
• to explore the world inside the backyard fence and to embrace the universe within the sandbox
• a time for reflection and privacy
• a time to master tying a shoelace or skipping rope or riding a bicycle
• a time to glimpse wisdom beyond the years, to glimpse the man or woman that is to be.

Something to Treasure by Jean Monti

CHILDHOOD is a time for love . . .

• for loving and being loved
• a time to be loved for the child's sake alone; not just because of what he means to his parents or what he has done or has not done, but because he is ...
• a time to kindle the love which expands itself to include everyone and everything in a child's big-small world
• a time to love boldly and to have a best friend every day
• to say "I love you so much it hurts."

A time to love with such intensity that there is no doubt in a child's mind and heart as to whom he belongs, and yet to love patiently and tenderly as well, tasting the sweetness of it ... for if a child does not love, then he is unlovely ... and if he does not learn to give love and to receive love, he will be nothing.

CHILDHOOD is a time to be guarded and guided and nurtured by all parents so that it belongs to the child."

by Mary Hemeon Adkins

Blessings,