"Cats in the Cradle"

Envision sitting at your kitchen table and looking out to the backyard. See a swing set and a sandbox and bicycle. Now the kids are gone. See how it all went by so fast and how you could have spent more time together.

Between busy work schedules and your children's extracurricular activities, it can be tough to work in quality family time. Parents and children can do simple activities that strengthen family bonds without breaking the bank. "Most of the child’s basic learning takes place in the many informal situations that occur daily in the life of the family," says Dr. James E. Van Horn, Professor of Rural Sociology, Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension. Quality family time helps children become responsible, self-sufficient adults.

It took the birth of his son for Harry Chapin to decide to turn the poem, “Cat’s In the Cradle” into a song. According to his wife, Sandy: "Harry and I would exchange writing of all kinds. We were always working on each other's writing. Some of my writing at a certain period were 20-page papers for a doctoral program at Columbia. So it wasn't always that poetic. But we both looked at each other's stuff. And then one time he came home and he said, 'What have you been doing?' I showed him 'Cat's In The Cradle,' and he said, 'Well, that's interesting.' You know, sometimes he'd pick up something and put music to it. And that didn't really grab him at all. And then after Josh was born, it did. He picked it up and he wrote music to it. The whole point of the story is that we learn our lessons in life by making mistakes, by trial and error, by experience. We learn life's lessons too late. We don't learn lessons before the fact. We don't have a child born and then have all this wisdom. It would be great if we could learn about the future ahead of time, but we have to learn the hard way. It's like the old saying--too old too soon, too wise too late."

Cat's in the Cradle

by Sandy & Harry Chapin

Lyrics: http://www.harrychapin.com/music/cats.shtml

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etundhQa724&feature=related

My child arrived just the other day,
He came to the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.
He learned to walk while I was away.
And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,
He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.
You know I'm gonna be like you."

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."

My son turned ten just the other day.
He said, "Thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play.
Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,
I got a lot to do." He said, "That's ok."
And he walked away, but his smile never dimmmed,
Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah.
You know I'm gonna be like him."

Well, he came from college just the other day,
So much like a man I just had to say,
"Son, I'm proud of you. Can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head, and he said with a smile,
"What I'd really like, dad, is to borrow the car keys.
See you later. Can I have them please?"

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.
"When you coming home, son?" "I don't know when,
But we'll get together then, dad.
You know we'll have a good time then."

I've long since retired and my son's moved away.
I called him up just the other day.
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind."
He said, "I'd love to, dad, if I could find the time.
You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu,
But it's sure nice talking to you, dad.
It's been sure nice talking to you."
And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.