[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:
This article gives us a classic example of why we should trust in Christ and his teachings, as we see what it’s like to give less attention to our families than we should; and we know we should … give more. Gen. Satterfield has given us a number of articles that lightly focus on the family. I think he should do more, just my opinion of course. I like to see these kind of insights into the struggles of a modern family. The pressures to earn a living and to simultaneously keep a family functioning. This is not easy to do and requires significant effort on the part of BOTH the mother and father of the children. In the book “Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children’s Rights Movement” by Kathy Faust, she explains the importance as well off both parents and how modern society is moving in the oppositre direction. Get her book and come back to rethink our view of today’s families. Pray for more good parents. 🙏
Good to read this as any father would.
This is a touching poem that really hits home for any father, or parent. The father’s remorse shows how easy it is to be too strict with kids. We often forget they are just little ones learning life. Dads especially carry a heavy load balancing discipline and love. It reminds us to show more patience every day. The story makes you reflect on your own parenting moments. Harsh words can stick with children for years. Instead, we should focus on encouragement and understanding. Reading this helps me appreciate the short time we have with our kids. Thanks for sharing this great reminder, General!
Indeed, “touching.” I do like, nonetheless, these kind of short stories from Gen. S. Easy to read. Easy to understand (and with some help here in the forum). Easy to remember and to repeat to my kids. I’m teaching them more than any school system can teach them.
Good story. Yep, can make you sad. Dads have a difficult job.
A truly sad story. If you are a father to a son, then you know that there is a fuzzy line between being too harsh upholding moral standards and encouragement. Sometimes we slip too far to the harsh side of our interactions and then, we can be melancholy, sad, disappointed in ourselves.
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.
Boy Sue, thanks for the comment and a shout-out to Gen. Satterfield for bringing this sad story to us. And I too love the book on “55 Rules” but if you notice, he has already created 10 more “rules” which I hope he updates his book on in the vrey near future.