I yearn to learn what's right from wrong
And how to share my toys.
Prepare me now to get along
With other girls and boys.
Of course, I'll need your guiding hand
--Some things you must forbid.
A lot I will not understand
When I become a kid.
And bear in mind that I'll advance
Into a ruling class;
The lessons that you leave to chance
Will circulate en masse.
So think before you speak out loud;
Be gentle with your voice.
Then one day I'll make you proud
--The whole world will rejoice.
For when my mom and dad unite
To raise me with due care,
They help create a real delight
With lots of love to spare.
My conduct, then, will be the kind
Where kindness rules the day
And friends will say, "We must remind
Ourselves to be this way."
Remember, though, it must begin
Before I reach your sphere,
With grown-ups who will look within
At children to revere.
