Dear Mom, Dear Dad: Poems for Everyone

Teresan Pitman was a childbirth educator in Willowdale, Ontario.

Reading Dear Mom, Dear Dad broughtback for me all the painful, confused emotions that I felt as a teenager growing up. This collection of poems by teens from across Canada varies in the quality of the writing, but it is consistently impressive in honest emotional content. Growing up is tough, painful, sad, and scary, and it is also exciting and confusing, as seen in the poetry of these young writers. Many of the poets are also dealing with the problems of divorced or separated parents, and their poems seem to be written directly to the parents.

The last, and longest, poem in the book, “Summer in Matsqui,” is also my favourite. It deals with childhood memories, already far in the past as the author approaches adulthood, and is particularly effective because of the way specific details make each memory real. Other poems have less impact, but the collection is, overall, proof of the sensitive writing that young people are capable of producing.