[July 11, 2026] Occasionally, I find solace in old books that I have on my book shelf. One of those published a short poem by W. Livingston Larned (copyright May 1935), titled “Father Forgets.” It’s a father’s monologue to his sleeping son, showing his vivid remorse for holding a young boy to the standards of an adult.
The father speaks to his son, who lies asleep with “one little paw crumpled under your cheek,”. As the father expresses his remorse, for the daily scoldings for minor faults (messy face, shoes, table manners, stockings), he recalls the boy’s innocent and glowing enthusiasm for his dad.
”I had been cross with you…At breakfast I found fault. You spilled things. You gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table. You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you started off to play and I made for my train, you turned and waved a hand and called, ‘Good-bye, Daddy!’ And I frowned, and said in reply, ‘Hold your shoulders back!’”
Larned catalogs his petty criticisms of his son’s boyish ways, contrasting with the child’s pure affection. His writing ends with a pledge for empathy; a loving hug and vowing tomorrow to be patient, empathetic, and affirming—recognizing the child as “only a boy.”
Perhaps unknowingly, Larned is critiquing authoritarian parenting styles, while emphasizing developmental understanding. There are some similarities with the Dale Carnegie inclusion approach that promotes improved teamwork in the workplace, as well as emotional intelligence in families.
There is a message here for all parents. We should value patience over perfection in child-rearing. We should be wary of the harm of harsh criticism and promote forgiveness as we practice the power of love to young children. And, we should cherish the short time we have together with our children. One day, they will be grown, and they will remember us; both the good and the not so good.
The father’s vivid remorse for the harsh treatment of his son just because the young boy took shortcuts with his daily duties, is a stark lesson for us all.
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Please read my books:
Good, quick, and to the point. I went online to read the entire but short poem. Thanks Gen. Satterfield. Since I’m the first to post today (and on several of your articles), I’ll step out on a limb (ha ha) and recommend your book of rules “55 Rules for a Good Life” because in it, we can find just about all the major rules of life to live by. In psychology and sociology, they talk about “mores” and “informal rules” all the time but never list them out like Gen. Satterfield has done for us, and done so methodically. Great book of useful rules of life.