Thank You for the Ear Time

Had little worry
A-rolling in my head
Made my shoulders heavy
Filled me up with dread 

Didn't want to share it
And make others worry too
Kept it in my tummy
Kept it hid away from you 

Thought if I ignored it
It might just go away
But it grew and grew inside me -
That worry meant to stay 

It followed me to school
It followed me bed
Made me Captain Grouchy
Made my dinner sit like lead

Then I wrote this poem
Shared my thoughts with you
My tummy's feeling better
My head is clearer too 

So thank you for the ear time
Guess I should have known
Adults can feel your worries
They also have their own

-B.C. Byron

Worries are a lot like blisters. I got a blister on my heel during a long hike in the mountains. It was mildly irritating. We had a long way still to go, so I figured it was best to just push through the annoyance of that tiny bump inside my shoe. I didn’t do anything to protect it and I didn’t tell the adults in the group, who had first aid kits. Of course, ignoring a blister and continuing to walk on it made the little monster grow. After 2 days of hiking, it doubled in size to about the diameter of a dime. After 3 days, it was huge and really painful. Then it popped and leaked goo into my boot. That really stung and I wanted to cry like my weepy blister, but I continued to tough it out. I could have asked for a special bandage to cover it up and probably prevented it from growing to quarter size. I might not have had to endure a wet sock for the last day of the hike. Obviously, ignoring my blister didn’t work out very well. Don’t let your worries grow and pop like a blister. There’s simply no reason. Bad news doesn’t get better with age and bad feelings don’t always disappear on their own. If your worry is caused by something bad you did, if it’s caused by someone you don’t want to offend, if it’s embarrassing, if telling someone about it makes you feel weak, if you already told everyone it didn’t bother you – none of that matters. Take that rock out of the bottom of your stomach and all the knots out of your shoulders by finding an ear for your concern. Think how you would react if your parents told you something important that they’re worried about. Would you laugh at them or call them wimps? Would you be mad at them? I doubt it. So why do we worry about those things when we are the one sharing?

Share a worry. Share an ear. Don’t carry burdens alone. Adults may not understand what you’re going through, but they will try their best, they will listen, and they will care. That matters so much more than understanding exactly how you feel. You may find that your adult has suffered something similar and can give great advice. That’s a bonus. But a hug and a nod can often bury your stress just as well.

For the adults reading this poem, the same goes to you. It’s okay to share your worries with your kids on occasion. They already know you have them. They already know you’re not perfect. So why not let them know that you trust and love them enough to ask for their ear time, too.