Overheard, two tables away
while waiting for my pizza to come
“Ooooo! I love this song.”
“This song. It’s crap. It’s the worst kind of rap and pop crap.”And then the child said nothing more.
What more could be said
in the face of such disapproval
in the face of such an eager child
shutdown shutout shutupWhen she’s 16 and keeps her earbuds in all the time
When she’s 20 and won’t tell you about her boyfriend
When she’s 25 and doesn’t return your phone calls
Will you look back and remember why?The cats in the cradle, my friend.
What goes around comes around.
Don’t waste it.
Pretend to enjoy the song, see some good in it.
Tell her why. And, maybe she’ll tell you why when she’s grown.
All content written by Liza Lee Miller unless otherwise noted.
© 2008, Liza Lee Miller.
Included as part of Poetry Friday, hosted this week at The Well-Read Child.
mother. wife. friend. teacher. writer. reader. photographer. birder. quilter. blogger.
Liza Lee Miller 
Oh Liza Lee–true true.
It is stunning how we cut off our children, and then wonder why they don’t want to talk to us!
Lovely expression of a nugget of truth in your poem.
Dang. You made me tear up. Very good.
Great lesson, Liza. That is a fitting shot, too.
Oh yeah, for sure, Liza. It’s sad how some parents shut their children down, then don’t know what happened later.
I love this poem. Thoughtful, insightful and beautifully written.
very wise words and an excellent photo!
So very true! How often I would like to speak up when I hear a parent do this. Don’t they ever stop and see the child’s expression when they are shut down like this?
So true, so true, so true.
In my case, it means I have to go learn some science. S i g h.
Right on the head, Liza.
Geoff sometimes says that I take certain things too seriously, with the girls being only 6 and 4. But I have to say: If they can’t tell me what happened at Summer Camp now, how will they ever tell me something really important? Like their friends are using drugs or having sex? Or they are in trouble some way?
Good one, girl.
You are a very wise, poetic woman. I admire you.
My daughter is 26 and I still need to remember to “Pretend to enjoy the song, see some good in it.”
Great poem…sad moment
Hear, hear. I think similar things when I hear parents at my library saying, “What are you doing? You’re not reading that garbage!” I hope I can remember to bite my tongue should I ever have children of my own.