We Are Responsible For Children...

Who put chocolate fingers everywhere, who like to be tickled, who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants, who sneak Popsicles before dinner, who erase holes in their math workbooks, who can never find their shoes.

And we are responsible for those who stare at photographers from behind broken windows, who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers, who were born in places where we wouldn't be caught dead, who live in an x-rated world.

We are responsible for children who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions, who sleep with the dog and bury goldfish, who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money, who cover themselves with band aides and sing off-key, who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink, who slurp their soup.

And we are responsible for the ones that never get dessert, who have no safe blanket to drag behind them, who watch their parents watch them suffer, who can't find any bread to steal, who don't have rooms to clean up, whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser, whose monsters are real.

We are responsible for children who spend all their allowance before Tuesday, who throw tantrums in the grocery store, who pick at their food, who like ghost stories, who shove dirty clothing under their bed and never rinse out the tub, who get visits from the tooth fairy, who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool, who squirm in church, scream on the phone, whose tears sometimes make us laugh and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we are responsible for those whose nightmares come in the daytime, who will eat anything, who have never seen a dentist, who aren't spoiled by anybody, who go to bed hungry, and cry themselves to sleep, who live and move, but have no being.

We are responsible for children who want to be carried and for those who must, for those we will never give up for those who don't get a second chance, and for those we smother and for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.

The above sentiments were give to our entire school staff by our principal on the first day of school yesterday. It made me get a huge lump in my throat. We have many underprivileged children at our school. If you look at them, each one is beautiful. Our responsibilities to children are huge. It doesn't matter if they are our own - the are all children of our Father in Heaven. My vow this new school year is to remember this - and to "mother" every child with whom I am fortunate enough to come in contact. Remember how much the Savior loved children...he admonished us to become as little children in order to enter the Kingdom of God.