When your son tells you something--listen.
When your son tells you-
about his first girlfriend at the age of eighteen,
he was listening when you told him about high school girls
and saw for himself.
When your son tells you he is in pain, physically-his stomach hurts and his face is contorted in pain-
exactly like yours--listen,
he may need surgery.
When the nurse tells you your newborn baby boy has a hole in his heart, maybe she misheard.
And when his doctors say they can hear a flutter
through (out) life--listen. Every time.
When your son asks you for advice
about relationships, instead of your ex-husband, you have raised a fine young man.
When your son tells you something by not telling you anything-listen real hard.
When your son tells you something you already know--listen (softly).
You cannot plan
for any of this,
especially the part where
He listens.
“It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.”
-Frederick Douglass
