you don't owe them _____ children

couldn't bring myself to use the f-word today, so I wrote a poem instead.

you don’t owe them _________ children.
really,
you don’t.
you don’t owe them polite children.
you don’t owe them polished children.
you don’t owe them perfect children.

take a breath.
let that sink in.

you don’t owe them
_________ children.

you don’t owe them tidy children.
you don’t owe them smiley children.
you don’t owe them friendly children.

drop
that weight
right
off
your shoulders.

you don’t owe them
_________ children.

you don’t owe them easy children.
you don’t owe them pleasing children.

you don’t owe them
_________ children.

say it out loud.
hear it for yourself.

you don’t owe them straight-backed children.
straight path children.
straight A’s children.
in fact, you don’t even owe them straight children at all.

you don’t owe them
_________ children.

you don’t owe them typical
exceptional,
original,
traditional.

whatever it is they may expect
of you and your children,
you
don’t owe it
to them.

let them make their peace with it.
or not.

because you don’t owe them fill in the blank children.