Stop telling the kids That what you do is who you are Stop telling the kids That your work is the mark Stop asking the kids What do you want to be? Or- start accepting answers of ‘Nice’ or ‘safe’ or ‘happy’ Stop telling the kids What they want to do Is who they want to be You’ve confused the English A verb where an adjective should be Stop telling the kids How they serve the economy Is the same as their personalities How will you make money for someone else In your lifelong campaign to sustain yourself? Is this what we ask at the age of three, To know how to act socially acceptably? Save the inaccurate labels of ability For dinner parties and PTA meetings And ask the kids What kind of grown-up do you want to be Or better, what would you like to see? What’s it like being three and what do you dream? What should I want to be?