I found this assignment my daughter wrote for school "Dear Envy", A letter poem

I just found an assignment my daughter wrote for school.  I am blown away by it.  I had no idea that she had this level of thinking.  Children do not communicate on a whole to their parents, their deep level of thoughts and views, in my opinion.  My daughter and I discuss many things and I have always tried to in-still critical thinking in her.  Even from when she was a toddler, I allowed her to make choices with things.  I would explain if she decided to play with a toy one way, then she would break it and another way it would not break.  I then allowed her to choose how she would play with that toy or other decisions as simple as that.  I allowed her to break the toy if that was her choice.  Why?  I did that so she could understand for the future how to make good decisions and choices.  She would break the toy and then realize she now lost it, due to her making a bad decision to play with it the one way, thus she suffered the consequence of it.  She then knew, she needed to fully think through what she wanted and use critical thinking in making good decisions.

I allowed her to make decisions on many things including if we would go one place or another or take a trip.  My family and friends always felt I gave her too  much power and I was the adult and should have always just said what we were going to do.   But I wanted her to feel the empowerment of good choices and enjoying that choice, to the full understanding of bad choices.  Also by empowering a child and having them feel they have some say in things, I believe helps them not rebel later in life due to not feeling empowerment of self.  A child that is empowered is not frustrated, compared to a child that has no say at all.  Think about it, our sense of self and confidence comes from our inner empowerment and self knowledge.

I don't believe parents on a whole fully think through that they are blessed with their child right now and it is not a 'power trip' but to help them be the full 'soul' they are and for them to have a wonderful life, when they have left the home and on their own.  I want my daughter to go through life making great decisions from critical thinking and have confidence (not ego) in who she is.

One other thing, I have always told my daughter to never make fun of another child.  I have explained to her that kids that put down other kids is actually due to insecurities and the kid trying to feel better about them self.  A child that has confidence in themselves feels no need to try and make others feel bad about themselves.

I have been blessed with a very emphatic child, who cares for others who is considered a nice, sweet girl and who teachers have given a school wide "Good Citizenship" award to.  Even from a young age, she has tried to help other kids in various ways.  It is not just from the way she has been raised, I believe it is her 'soul' in the first place that makes her who she is.  Hopefully I am helping bring out the best in her so she can have a totally beautiful and loving life.

I just now found this assignment, that is a letter poem, I feel this shows depth of character and understanding of negative forces in our lives.  I am copying it here.

DEAR ENVY:

I wish you wouldn't sneak up on people. 

 You pinpoint the most innocent and unsuspecting people to cut open 

After you originally violate them, it is a never-ending pathway

I bet you love to sneak up on unsuspecting victims

You creep and crawl inside them until they spontaneously combust

You are a silent, ticking nuclear bomb

You begin by infiltrating them like a tiny whisper from the back of their head

You hide yourself as something good, pleasant, sweet

You build up to be a hurricane that devastates lives, families and friendships

After you course through their blood and destroy relationships

You put the people to joust in front of the world to fight till the death

In front of everyone they bash each other's outer armor until their souls are cut apart

Only then one wins

You are a sin and the devils tool

After you finish your trauma you are left like a crimson stain on a white, previously unbroken soul

You are never fading and always reminiscent to the people destroyed by your power

The way you use your sleazy power for evil while coinciding with the devil is your worst fault

You are the devil's tool while you are used to pry open people's hearts while the devil slithers inside

with his serpent ways

After you drip your poison into the veins of the pure you step aside while the devil undertakes the rest

I know you could use your power no other way

To my home wrecker friend who never seems to cease. 

I found the above poem (which she got an A+ on) to be deep in understanding how envy or jealously of another ruins relationships and takes people down.  I just had to put this on the blog, but I wonder if I will suffer the consequences of this decision, when she finds out?  :) btw: She just turned 15.

Update - 4:25pm.  I just let my daughter know I found her assignment.  She is embarrassed and said they had to write a poem in 10 minutes time in class and that is what she came up with.  She doesn't feel it is good either.  Well.... I let her know that many have seen and read it and feel differently.  :)

My 12 year old daughter in a jam session in the hills of Tennessee with her Bass Clarinet. Farm I owned In Centerville, Tennessee.

A little light hearted post which we all need at times. This is also to remind people it is good to get out into the country and away from the all that is going on, sometimes. You never know what experiences await you.

My 12 year old daughter and I had spent the weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, October of last year (2011). We drove to Centerville, Tennessee where I use to own a farm, I bought it after moving up from the Virgin Islands in my twenties. We first ate at Breeces cafe (which is where I ate all the time when I lived in Centerville). The best country cooking anywhere in the world! Even though it had been 20 years since I lived in Centerville and only lived there 3 years, they remembered me! OOOPPSSSS :D

We saw the farm house and then began making our way to the Amish area of Tennessee. We stopped by a country store out in the middle of nowhere in Coble, Tennessee to get some water.

When we walked in there was a country jam session happening in the back. One of the guys asked if I played music and I said "No, not at all, but my daughter does."

She had her Bass Clarinet with her, practicing during our trip, because she has a school band concert this week. After a little convincing her it was okay to join in the jam session, she got her Bass Clarinet and played a couple of songs with the folks.

Here is my daughter's first jam session ever! It will be something to remember and I advise everyone... take some time, drive deep into the country and enjoy the nature and the people! Country folks are welcoming and friendly. They asked us to come back and for my daughter to come and play with them again. My daughter loved it there and she wants to go back often!

Here is the jam session.  My daughter was a little shy about it but next time I believe she will have more confidence and play a little louder.  Especially since at her school band concert 2 days ago (May 2012) they had her play a solo part with her Bass Clarinet.  











For the fun of it, here are pictures of the farm I used to own in Centerville, Tn. that I took when we went by it in Oct. It was out in the middle of nowhere and there was not one piece of sheet rock in it. I had the place done with all wood everywhere. The front door handle is even natural formed wood. Who wouldn't want to sit out on that porch for hours looking across the beauty of God's Green Gorgeous Earth?   Almost 20 years after I had sold it, it still has the rockers I had left there on the porch.  It was exactly the same, even the lions I had purchased and  put on the pillars at the bottom of the steps were there.  It really is nice to see some things don't change, when so many other things elsewhere have changed in the world.  Centerville and my old farm are exactly as I left them almost 20 years ago.  

Country Living! Video- 12 Year old joins a jam session in Coble, Tn. of guitars, banjo and harmonica with a Bass Clarinet

I don't put personal things up.  But this is just too good not to.

My 12 year old daughter and I had spent the weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.  We drove to Centerville, Tennessee where I use to own a farm, I bought after moving up from the Virgin Islands in my twenties.  We first ate at Breeces cafe (which is where I ate all the time when I lived in Centerville).  The best country cooking anywhere in the world!  Even though it had been 20 years since I lived in Centerville and only lived there 3 years, they remembered me!   OOOPPSSSS  :D

We saw the farm house and then began making our way to the Amish area of Tennessee.  We stopped by a country store out in the middle of nowhere in Coble, Tennessee to get some water.

When we walked in there was a country jam session happening in the back.  One of the guys asked if I played music and I said "No, not at all, but my daughter does."

She had her Bass Clarinet with her, practicing during our trip, because she has a school band concert this week.  After a little convincing her it was okay to join in the jam session, she got her Bass Clarinet and played a couple of songs with the folks.

Here is my daughter's first jam session ever!  It will be something to remember and I advise everyone... take some time, drive deep into the country and enjoy the nature and the people!  Country folks are welcoming and friendly.  They asked us to come back and for my daughter to come and play with them again.  My daughter loved it there and she wants to go back often!