By Claire Jenkins
An Open Letter to Parents,
Your child is worth more than their GPA
Your child is worth more than the colleges they get into
Your child is worth more than the sports they play
Your child is going to get hurt, but they will heal
Your child is going to fall in love; it will be messy, but it will be beautiful
Your child is going to make mistakes, but they will learn
Your child is trying to figure themselves out, so be patient
Your child is trying to make you proud, so don’t pressure them
Your child is trying their best.
Sincerely,
A child
Editor: Shelby Armor
Wonderful!
Claire,
An excellent poem.
A simple expression of very profound truths.
I love its construction as a letter .
The English Teacher still smoldering in me …. wants to fix the incorrect usage of
a PLURAL pronoun (, THEY and THEIR) to refer to a SINGULAR noun (child).
It is a particularly glaring mistake since it is repeated in nearly every line.
I don’t think it would hurt the excellence of the poem to correct the grammar to SINGULAR pronouns, maybe even alternating masculine (he his) with feminine (she her) to makes its message singularly universal.
I am lean mean DBQ machine.
Don’t you have an essay to write, Claire?
(I love this poem! Fabulous job.)