The Gift of Poetry For Kids. An IWSG Post.
Posted on January 9, 2020
My kids are growing up, and with that comes all of life's frustrations. My daughter is in her first year in college, and like a lot of kids, she is facing a major that was much harder than she imagined. For a student who has always been at the top of her class, this was incredibly frustrating. So much so she would often vent to us about studying more than she ever did in her entire life. In the end, she passed with a humble grade, and with more confidence than when she started. She is continuing the subject despite the rocky start, but next semester she is considering other options.


As for my son, he's been going through a lot of social growing pains in his pre-teen years. Friends leaving for other interests, some advancing where he is not up to par, some leaving because... kids will be kids. He tends to focus on the negative and the only thing we can do is remind him of all the positive, like his new friends in his new interest groups, his advancement in sports and math, and the way he's become a great presenter in front of class. Although we have been guiding him through these muddy waters, it has been frustrating for him.

So easy being young, right?

So, for Christmas, I wanted to give my kids something that would take their mind off their frustrations. My husband loves this one poem in Spanish that is perfect for my daughter (she is minoring in Spanish) and I love this poem titled If by Rudyard Kipling I had read ages ago that is perfect for my son. Combine these pieces with images I found online and it makes for a nice poster gift.


Staples prints posters for pretty cheap and in the same day. A frame from Walmart completes the package. My kids absolutely loved their posters. So much so that my son hung it up that same night and my daughter shared it with her friends on social media.

Below is my humble translation of Sandoval's poem. This is NOT official, just my attempt at translating the message of this beautiful piece. If you're familiar with this poem, please correct me where I've made a mistake. It took a long while, and a lot of research online, to translate the idioms. I hope I did it justice. 

Work Hard And Keep Faith
by Manuel Sandoval
(Unofficial Translation)

What you don't achieve today, perhaps tomorrow
You will, it's not time yet;
Never in the short span of a day
Does a fruit ripen, nor a seed spike.

Never, in human labor
Is eagerness vain and insistence useless,
He who, with faith and courage, fights and trusts
The major obstacles along his path.

Work and persevere, that in this world
Nothing exists rebellious nor fruitless
To the power of God and of the idea.

Even the sterile and deformed rock
Is a spring when Moses touches it
And a statue when Fidias hammers it.


~ * ~


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3 comments:

  1. That was a wonderful gift for your kids.
    College is tough, although I eventually found I did better there in high school. Hopefully your daughter does the same.

    ReplyDelete
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