Sadly, in the USA the gap between the rich and the poor seems to grow and grow and grow. When I was growing up most of my friends had stay-at-home mothers, including me. It is now a luxury in the area where we live for a child to have a parent who is not obligated to work outside of the home.

Children are an investment, but so many families are forced to "farm out" the care of their precious children. I really admire some parents I have met who live like church mice in order to have one parent at home with their young children. It is a beautiful gift to be able to give to a child and a far more valuable and important gift than any material item that could ever be purchased. On the other hand I am also painfully aware of how impossible it is for single parents or for the working-poor to give that gift to their children.

In middle age I look back and see that the three best gifts my parents ever gave me, my two brothers and my sister were the gifts of parental time, an appreciation for the value of education and the gift of a work ethic. Mother's Day is coming up and I am going to make sure that my mother knows that I appreciate those gifts she gave me the most.

I like Clowns

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I like Clowns