Thoughts of an old man

[Bhavani <http://www.rcn.com/~bhavani.nh.ultranet>]

Robert,

No matter what I have said or did in the past, I want to thank you for 
being my son.  Like “Cat’s In The Cradle”, I haven’t been a great father 
to you or any of the kids but I do appreciate all of you immensely.  I’m 
sorry for not bringing you into the world more conscientiously.  Had I 
been aware of the pain and suffering in this world, I surely would have 
loved to give you and the other kids a choice.  But when one is young and 
foolish…  Or Youth Is Wasted On The Young.  I realize it is very hard to 
express ones self to those they are closest to and I’m not one that can 
read body language or minds.  That’s your mothers department.  So I 
apologize for not providing to you what you really needed at any point in 
your life.  Had I known, I most certainly would go out of my way to do 
what ever was necessary for you as well as the other kids.  And my big 
mouth has certainly got me in trouble on more than one occasion  and my 
comments about having children were passed down to me by my father “If I'd 
knewed it I wouldn’t have doed it” which is what both my sister and I were 
laughing so really hard at.  What one says will come back to haunt 
you.  And so with me saying all those remarks which were just sudden 
outbursts of frustration that were put on me by my parents as I’ve done to 
you.

SO if you can forgive an old fool for his ways, I just want to say that I 
love you and the other kids very much as do I love your mother though I 
still do and say dumb things.  And appreciate the ones you’re with before 
it’s too late.

Dad.