The Tag

I hearby propose that from this time forward all babies be strapped with a wrist tag at birth. It makes no sense to me that we should have simple, printed instructions for flowers and cars and absolutely none for human beings. So, when a baby is pushed screaming into the world let us immediately lash a tag onto that baby’s wrist that says something like this:

For proper development, this person must be touched, kissed, talked to, listened to, prayed for, and given utmost attention. Unless this person is the object of someone’s delight, this person will wither and die.

I would even go so far as to suggest that the wrist tag be worn all through life.

When said person reaches the age of five and goes off to kindergarten, everyone-parents, grandparents, teachers, principals- can look at the tag and remember what it takes for a kindergartner to survive the new and frightening rigors of school life.

When said person is about to begin junior high, parents and siblings and friends can look at the tag again and refresh their memories. The gangling, silly, obnoxious, confused child must be touched, kissed, talked to, listened to, prayed for, and given utmost attention. The information on the wrist tag, you see, is as true for adolescents as it is for infants.

About the same time this same individual get married, let’s make it a requirement for everyone to read the tag again. And remember: If this one is going to have a joy filled marriage, these directions must be followed carefully.

When our person enters mid-life and faces the now famous mid-life crisis, it would behoove us to read these instructions again and remember that people in their forties are pondering, perhaps for the first time n their life, their own coming death. Often they are also struggling with teenage children, broken dreams, job dissatisfaction and a once youthful body that is sagging in all the wrong places.

Years later, when this person checks in to the nursing home, we should read the tag once more. And once more we could remember. Old people need to be touched, kissed, talked to, listened to, prayed for and given utmost attention. From nursery to nursing home the species called “human being” grows and thrives only in an environment of caring. All of us need to be loved with a particular, focused kind of love.

Author Unknown