Missing My Children

Oh, how I miss my children and their children, too;
The summers used to be filled with so many things to do.
But, now we're faced with the occasional short visit,
As the time allotted to each adult is so carefully split.

I'm tempted to take in children of some other folks,
But the truth is that so much parenting is now a joke.
Parents who want no responsibility seem to be
The first to blame the people who agree to set them free.

In order to secure our future finances, we must say no
To many who would like a place for their children to go.
We live in a society that wants everything with no price,
We can't afford to have only a few who are willing to sacrifice.

Those who want something for nothing are the first to bring
Lawsuits and slander that can ruin us while they sting.
"No good deed goes unpunished," is a saying that seems true.
It does put a damper on the deeds we'd like to do.

A "Granny Camp" would be a pleasure if children knew respect,
But authority is now something all children feel free to reject.
Being "the cool one" doesn't cut it in a life-threatening emergency
But it seems the only value that the young people are willing to see.

While I know of the many abuses of unquestioned authority,
There must be an alternative to all the children running free.
I would love to bring inner-city children to learn to farm and preserve
But I can't get past the sentence that any mistakes may cause us to serve.