A Tiger MUST Change His Stripes

It’s fine to be selfish through much of your life,
But all is transformed when your children arrive.
You give them your all, as to never deprive,
But not too easy, kids benefit from strife.
A delicate balance, the edge of a knife,
Both praising and guiding, you help them to thrive.
Through stumbles and lessons, they feel more alive,
Yet still in some parents, self-interest runs rife.

Unwilling to change for the sake of their kids,
Late nights and long travels. Routines? Not a chance.
They drag them along with their half-closed eyelids,
Too young to cry “stop,” children stuck in a trance.
With no sense of rhythm, home life hits the skids—
Self-centered parents led to this circumstance.