Hurry the baby as fast as you can,
Hurry him, worry him, make him a man.
Off with his baby clothes, get him in pants,
Feed him on brain foods and make him advance.
Hustle him, soon as he's able to walk,
Into a grammar school; cram him with talk.
Fill his poor head full of figures and facts,
Keep on a-jamming them in till it cracks.
Once boys grew up at a rational rate,
Now we develop a man while you wait,
Rush him through college, compel him to grab
Of every known subject a dip or a dab.
Get him in business and after the cash,
All by the time he can grow a mustache.
Let him forget he was ever a boy,
Make gold his god and its jingle his joy.
Keep him a-hustling and clear out of breath,
Until he wins - nervous prostration and death.
Nixon Waterman
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Maybe this is how we got to the point where boys grow up much too fast - or refuse to grow up at all.
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Painting by Mary Casset
Hmmm.. Yes, we want our boys to become men. But, like you said we don't want them to be forced to fast or refuse to take on responsibility when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteYes. There have been instances I've seen or heard that made me uncomfortable that the parents were putting too much on their son too early. My own great-grandfather wouldn't let any of his children even go to school until they were six. He said they needed time to be children. Interestingly, at least two of them graduated early despite this "delay." :-)
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