Pope John Paul II's Letter to Children
      CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE
          Abridged version of the living poem "If a child lives ..."
          With thanks and apologies to Dorothy Law Nolte.

The present version is a redaction from several versions found on the internet. Reposted by
SIMBAHAYAN
SA  MAYNILA

 

If children live with criticism,
they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility,
they learn to fight.

If children live with ridicule,
they learn to be shy.

If children live with fear,
they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with shame,
they learn to be scrupulous.

If children live with jealousy,
they learn what envy is.

If children live with instability,
they learn to doubt.

If children live with deception,
they learn to lie.

... BUT ...

If children live with Tolerance,
they learn to be Patient.

If children live with Encouragement,
they learn Self-Confidence.

If children live with Praise,
they learn to Appreciate.

If children live with Security,
they learn to Trust in themselves and others.

If children live with Recognition,
they learn that it is good to have a Goal.

If children live with Respect,
they learn Self-esteem.

If children live with Serenity,
they learn to have Peace of Mind.

If children live with Honesty and Fairness,
they learn what Truth and Justice are.

If children live with Sharing,
they learn to be Generous.


If children live with Acceptance and Friendship, they learn to find love in the world.
And if children live with Faith, they will never go astray!


BUHAY-PAGKALINGA | KRISIS
Pope John Paul II: Children - A Message of Life and Hope
Pope John Paul II: Letter to Children (Christmas 1994)
Pope John Paul II's General Intention for February 2001
DOWNLOAD: Prayer Modules on Having & Raising Kids
ABS-CBN Bantay-Bata 163
POINT TO PONDER: Socio-economic and political upheavals are wrought by persons who carry unhealed childhood traumas, who as adults rise (with the aid of survival and defense mechanisms gained from the traumas) to positions of public authority, and from their pedestal, inflict upon the rest of the nation their unresolved pathologies.