I must be fit for a child to play with, <br />Fit for a youngster to walk away with; <br />Fit for his trust and fit to be <br />Ready to take him upon my knee; <br />Whether I win or I lose my fight, <br />I must be fit for my boy at night. <br />I must be fit for a child to come to, <br />Speech there is that I must be dumb to; <br />I must be fit for his eyes to see, <br />He must find nothing of shame in me; <br />Whatever I make of myself, I must <br />Square to my boy's unfaltering trust. <br />I must be fit for a child to follow, <br />Scorning the places where loose men wallow; <br />Knowing how much he shall learn from me, <br />I must be fair as I'd have him be; <br />I must come home to him, day by day, <br />Clean as the morning I went away. <br />I must be fit for a child's glad greeting, <br />His are eyes that there is no cheating; <br />He must behold me in every test, <br />Not at my worst, but my very best; <br />He must be proud when my life is done <br />To have men know that he is my son.<br /><br />Edgar Albert Guest<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-boy-s-ideal/
