A babe is born naked and pure,
A blank slate of infinite promise.
From his arrival into our world,
We teach and preach and tutor.
We define all his limitations;
Educating him in all that cannot be,
Finding and sorting and showcasing his faults.
We bless him with our dysfunctions,
Teach him our skillful conflict resolution
And chip away tirelessly at the magic.
We clip his wings and hold back things
And mold him, forming him, shaping him,
making him, glazing him and baking him,
Hardening him into what is proper and good
And we do it all with love.