From William Martin's "The Parent's Tao Te Ching"

[iamom]

A close friend of B's has recently read Naomi Klein's No Logo and has begun a quest for non-materialism in her life. She's also giving B advice about how to raise our daughter without obsession for material goods. I think that's a worthwhile discussion, and when someone recently posted this poem to one of the nonduality lists, I wanted to make note of it here. I sent her a copy of the message, too.

Your children do not need more.
Each day adds more facts,
more gadgets,
more activities,
more desires,
and more confusion
to their lives.

Your task is to subtract.
Each day seek to remove,
to clarify,
to simplify.
Society's wisdom adds,
and confusion grows.
The wisdom of the Tao subtracts,
and serenity flourishes.

If each day one minute less
was spent doing something.
And one minute more
was spent being present,
in simple pleasures,
with your children.
In two months
you would transform your life,
and theirs.
One minute less.