(Based on a column by Erma Bombeck)

TO RAISE A CHILD
by John T. Baker
To raise a child,
And do it right,
Is like the way
To fly a kite.

You run with it
Then toss it high
To help it leave
The ground and fly.

It dips and bobs
Then tries to sail,
It falls, you add
A longer tail.

As it ascends
It needs more string;
You let it out
While worrying.

At last it soars,
And finally
It snaps the line
And now is free.

It drifts away
Beyond a cloud,
You watch it go,
Both sad and proud.