---
title: ▍Do not ask your children to strive
created: 2026-07-22
modified: 2026-07-23
authors: William Martin
category: Poem
---

> Do not ask your children
>
> to strive for extraordinary lives.
>
> Such striving may seem admirable,
>
> but it is the way of foolishness.
>
> Help them instead to find the wonder
>
> and the marvel of an ordinary life.
>
> Show them the joy of tasting
>
> tomatoes, apples and pears.
>
> Show them how to cry
>
> when pets and people die.
>
> Show them the infinite pleasure
>
> in the touch of a hand.
>
> **And make the ordinary come alive for them.**
>
> **The extraordinary will take care of itself.**