Joy Cowley wrote this poem for the Vigil of Prayer for Children held in St Paul’s Cathedral during a rally in Parliament last month against the bill to repeal Section 59 of the Crimes Act 1961.
Dear Mum and Dad, I love you.
You are my role models, my teachers.
Who you are and what you do shape my world.
Through the great love you show me,
I learn to love others, and I discover
the abundance of God’s love for us all.
When you tell me I am beautiful,
I see the whole world as beautiful.
When you see me as a precious gift,
I understand the true value of family life.
Thank you for your patience with me.
I am small but I have big emotions
and sometimes I lose control.
When that happens, you send me
to my room for time on my own,
and then afterwards, we talk about it.
When I talk, you always listen to me.
So when you talk, I listen to you.
I learn that when anger flares up
it’s good to take time out to cool down,
and then discuss the problem.
Dear Mum and Dad, you teach me well.
I will not grow up fearing you.
I will not have secrets that I can’t share.
I will always hold you in love and respect.
And when you are old, and you need me
as much as I need you now,
all the love that you have given me,
will come back to you,
my dear Mum and Dad.
A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand (extended version)
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