Kids Poem by Jason Jackson

I want to make my kids laugh
I need to feel their love waft (over me)
I want them to be decent kids
I try hard to not blow my lid

I need to look after my better & three-quarters
She’s good to me, two sons, no daughters
Sometimes I need a shoulder to cry on,
None better is there for me to rely on.

Maybe I’m too strict, I compare my kids, to my past
I never stood up to my elders, I would end up in a cast
I turned out all right, maybe I saw the light
But now when things go wrong, my stomach will turn all night

Today’s kids have too much, too much stuff, too much stimulation
Every request I make of them, seems to go to arbitration
I try in hindsight, to make them feel grateful
But comments I get can be forthright & hateful.

I make allowances as surely everyone can see,
But do I lose a part of my personality, i.e. being me
If I compromise everything that I truly believe in
Will my grown up kids ever really respect the real me?