Dear Parents

You love us but you don’t
You care for us but you won’t
You cry for us but they’re lies
You understand but you haven’t tried

You may think you’ve given all the love needed
But have you loved them the way they need to be?
Did the criticism you give only last for that moment?
Have you hidden your favorites or disappointments well enough?

You seem to forget that we are your children
We can tell when you lie because we know when you’re true
A lie sticks out more than a truth does
It leaves an imprint that cannot be undone

Sometimes it’s not the saying of words that hurt
Rather, the lack of words that strike our souls
Have you told us that you are pleased?
Have you mentioned that we have fulfilled your needs?

Do you know what your child thinks?
That empty mind so full of things
Do you take their advice with full attention?
Or do you write them down and resent them

Do you truly know exactly how you’re child acts
Their hobbies and speech, their rage when they snap
Do you take showy emotion as a loss of respect
Despite it being a potential cry for help

Do you ignore your child’s problems?
Push them off and bury them beneath your own
Do you believe that they have nothing to worry about?
While the blood red sky bleeds through their window?

Do you think they are obnoxious?
Just stupid and ignorant?
Do you believe they won’t notice
Inconsistencies within their life?

If I asked you questions about your child, could you answer?
If I asked your child the same question, would they answer the same?
Before they’re old, please help them understand
That you love them with everything and always will

Please teach them
Dear Parents