This poem addresses all adults who stand beside children, questioning their attitude and sense of commitment. To be with a child—to guide, to teach, to love, to walk alongside, and to learn together—is not merely a role, but a reflection of one’s way of being as a human being. Facing children also means confronting one’s own immaturity and mistakes, while embracing unconditional love and responsibility. The poem quietly speaks of both the difficulty and the joy of living alongside children, and the profound dignity found in that relationship.
“To Those Who Stand Beside Children”
To those who stand beside children—
do you have the resolve
for all that you give, seen and unseen?
To those who counsel children—
do you know the hardship
when your words fail to reach their hearts?
To those who guide children—
do you trust yourself
in what you speak as truth?
To those turned away by children—
do you repent your faults
when you stray from what is right?
To those who love children—
do you offer unconditional love
with all that you can give?
To those who walk with children—
do you speak of life’s joy
in having met them?
To those who learn with children—
do you seek truth together
when answers are questioned?