Savvy Parenting : Wise Words from Robert Louis Stevenson The Savvy Source for Parents

No need for plane tickets -- here's how to visit foreign lands by climbing up a tree.

Foreign Lands

Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad in foreign lands.

I saw the next door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.

I saw the dimpling river pass
And be the sky's blue looking-glass;
The dusty roads go up and down
With people tramping in to town.

If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships,

To where the road on either hand
Lead onward into fairy land,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.

From A Child's Garden of Verses

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I have fond memories of climbing trees at my grandparent's house in Missouri. It felt like my own little world. I had forgotten about that tree-climbing feeling until my 4-year old found a little tree to climb on our walks through the neighborhood. He is only about 3 feet off the ground, but it is such a thrill for him. It is amazing how such a small change to our environment can give such a different perspective...especially for a child.

Posted on Jul 26, 2008

A beautiful poem! Thanks for sharing. Nothing like adventurous and imaginitive children to take you back to your own fond childhood memories.

Posted on Jul 29, 2008