Monday, October 19, 2009

BOY WANTED


Boy Wanted
    Frank Crane
(This "want ad" appeared in the early part of this century)

WANTED- A boy who stands straight, sits straight, acts straight and talks straight;
A boy whose fingernails are not in mourning, whose ears are clean, whose shoes are polished, whose clothes are brushed, whose hair is combed, and whose teeth are well cared for;
A boy who listens carefully when he is spoken to, who asks questions when he does not understand, and does not ask questions about things that are none of his business;
A boy who moves quickly and makes as little noise about it as possible;
A boy who whistles in the street, but does not whistle where he ought to keep still;
A boy who looks cheerful, has a ready smile for everybody, and never sulks;
A boy who is polite to every man and respectful to every woman and girl;
A boy who does not smoke cigarettes and has no desire to learn how;
A boy who is more eager to know how to speak good English that to talk slang;
A boy who neither bullies other boys nor allows other boys to bully him;
A boy who, when he does not know a thing says, "I don't know," and when he has made a mistake says, "I'm sorry," and when he is asked to do a thing says, "I'll try";
A boy who looks you right in the eye and tells the truth every time;
A boy who is eager to read good books;
A boy who would rather put in his spare time at the YMCA gymnasium than gamble for pennies in a back room;
A boy who does not want to be "smart" or in any wise to attract attention;
A boy who would rather lose his job or be expelled from school than tell a lie or be a cad;
A boy whom other boys like;
A boy who is at ease in the company of girls;
A boy who is not sorry for himself, and not forever thinking and talking about himself;
A boy who is friendly with his mother, and more intimate with her than anyone else;
A boy who makes you feel good when he is around;
A boy who is not goody-goody, a prig, or a little pharisee, but just healthy, happy, and full of life.
This boy is wanted everywhere.  The family wants him, the school wants him, the office wants him, the boys want him, the girls want him, all creation wants him.

I think this is a wonderful reminder of we need to be striving for as parents for our sons and daughters.  We seem to have lowered the standard of expectations for our children in so many ways and are seeing the fruit of this.  This is a thought provoking ad and it stirs a deeper conviction within me as a parent to be mindful of the adults my children may turn out to be.  We have such a limited time with out children and we can't really afford to waste the years that they are in the shadow of our wings.  I like to envision my sons and daughters as having deep and abiding characters and habits that bring glory to God and cause others to take notice and wonder what is so different about them.  I hope you found this "ad" encouraging and convicting at the same time.




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