''Mom, Please Wash Baby Ducky! '' Poem by Mary Nagy

Walking through the house
doing the usual cleaning
I begin to wonder
who are these kids living in my house?
I see the MP3 player on the table.
The cell phone on top of the T.V.,
Kids are so much more
technologically advanced than we were
(and wasn't I just their age? ?)

As I toss their electronic devices
into their room
I feel an emptiness for them
wondering if they'll ever be able
to receive comfort
outside the electronic age.

Before I turn around to leave
I see a hand-written note
done with bright purple magic marker
left by my thirteen year old daughter.
''Mom, Please wash Baby Ducky!
Love, Charity''

''Baby Ducky'' is the blanket
she's had since she was a baby.
It is a twin sized comforter
with a picture of a little girl and a duck
(which explains the name...Baby Ducky) .
It was her older sisters until the new baby
(Charity) came along
and she decided to pass it down as a gift.
When Charity's baby brother came along
she tried so hard
to keep up the tradition
and give it to him...
it lasted about 2 days.
She just couldn't bare life without it.
We gave it back to her
and it hasn't left her possession since.

Her note reminds me
that no matter what joy they get
from electronic toys and gadgets...
nothing can replace the pure comfort
you get from an old blanket
given to you with love.