"The Child's Part in the Making of American Culture"

One thing that really caught my eye in “The Child’s Part in the Making of American Culture” was the poem at the very end called “To a Picture of My Mother” by the ten-year-old Harriet Appleton. I can relate to this poem because I know that sometimes I wish I could go back to being an infant because they have no worries. They just eat, sleep, and get all the attention in the world. When I first read the poem, I thought that Harriet was referring to herself. As I continued to read on, I find that she is actually talking about a baby infant that is in her mothers lap. Harriet is at envy for the lost position of the “darling little child”. She also mentions that she wishes to “protect and hint that tears, frowns, and cares of growing up are unavoidable.” I think everyone can relate to this poem because some days we have so much on our minds and can become so stressed out that we think about the simple life of an infant, having no worries at all. An infant has so much to learn and can be filled with any ideas. The story mentions children as being “hallow” and how they are vulnerable to be filled with anything that they come across. Children are not even considered “human beings” because they have so much to learn. Because of this, parents sometimes tend to live their lives through their children’s lives.