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Me Mudder
When my prayers were poorly said;
who tucked me in me widdle bed
and spanked me butt til it was red?
.....Me Mudder!
In the morning, when the lights would come
and in me crib me dribbled some;
who wiped me widdle tiny bun?
.....Me Mudder!
Who took me from me cozy cot
and placed me on me ice cold pot
and made me pee-pee when me could not?
.....Me Mudder!
Who's hair so gently she would part
and hold me tightly to her heart
and sometimes squeeze me until I'd - fart?
.....Me Mudder!
Who looked at me with eyebrows drooped
and screamed and yelled til she had the croup
when in me Sunday pants I - pooped?
.....Me Mudder!
And at night when the bed did squeak
and me raised me head to have a peek,
who yelled at me to go to sleep?
.....Me Fadder!!!
In the morning, I was impatient with you as you dawdled and dressed slowly,
In the afternoon, I made phone calls while you played in your room,
In the evening, as I worked at my desk, you approached me hesitantly.
You didn't say a word, you just came bounding into the room,
After that, I sat with my eyes fixed on my desk for a long time,
You became my teacher today, with your unrestrained urge to rush in and kiss me
And now, as I see you lying fast asleep,
Put your arms around them,
Roll around the floor with them,
Take time to get to know them,
Let them run their fingers through your hair
Cuddle with them on the couch
Take a walk into the park,
Mothers, touch your children,
"We're taking a survey," she says, half joking.
"It will change your life," I say carefully,
"I know," she says.
But that is not what I mean at all.
I consider warning her that she will never read a newspaper
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and
I feel I should warn her that no matter how many years she has
I want my friend to know that everyday routine decisions
I want her to know that however decisive she may be at the office,
Looking at my attractive friend,
I want her to know that a cesarean scar or
My friend's relationship with her husband will change,
I wish my modern friend could sense the bond she will feel with women
I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration of seeing your son
My friend's quizzical look makes me realize that
Gift Of Your Love
My precious child, I have slipped into your room to sit with you
as you sleep, and watch the rise and fall of your breath for awhile.
Your eyes are peacefully closed, and your soft blonde curls frame your cherubic face.
Just moments ago, as I sat with my paperwork in the den,
a mounting sadness came ove me, while I contemplated the day's events.
I could no longer keep my attention on my work,
and so I have come to talk to you in silence, as you rest.
telling you to stop being such a slowpoke.
I scolded you for misplacing your lunch ticket,
and I capped off breakfast with a disapproving look as you spilt food on your shirt.
"Again?" I sighed and shook my head.
You just smiled sheepishly at me and said "Bye Mommy!"
singing aloud and gesturing to yourself,
with all of your toys lined up in jovial rows on the bed.
I motioned irritably for you to be quiet and stop all the racket,
and then proceeded to spend another busy hour on the phone.
"Get your homework done right now,"
I later rattled off like a sergeant, "and stop wasting so much time."
"Okay Mom", you said remorsefuly, sitting up straight at your desk with pencil in hand.
After that, it was quiet in your room.
"Will we read a story tonite, Mom?"
you asked with a glimmer of hope. "Not tonite," I said abruptly,
"your room is still a mess! How many times will I have to remind you?"
You wandered off in a shuffle with your head down and headed for your room.
Before long, you were back, peering around the edge of the door.
"Now what do you want?" I asked in an agitated tone of voice.
threw your arms around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.
"Good night, Mommy, I love you", was all you said,
as you squeezed tightly. And then, as swiftly as you had appeared,
you were gone.
feeling a wave of remorse come over me.
At what point did I lose the rhythm of the day,
I wondered, and at what cost? You hadn't done anything to evoke my mood.
You were just being a child, busy about the task of growing and learning.
I got lost today, in an adult world of responsibilities and demands,
and had little energy left to give to you.
goodnight, even after an arduous day of tip-toeing around my moods.
I yearn for the day to start all over again.
Tomorrow, I will treat myself with as much understanding
as you have shown me today, so that I can be a real mom
offering a warm smile when you awaken,
a word of encouragement after school,
and an animated story before bed.
I will laugh when you laugh and cry when you cry.
I will remind myself that you are a child,
not a grownup, and I will enjoy being your mom.
Your resilient spirit has touched me today,
and so, I come to you in this late hour to thank you,
my child, my teacher and my friend,
for the gift of your love.
Mother and Father
Mothers, touch your children,
Fathers, hug them tight,
Let them know you love them
morning, noon, and night.
hold them near to you,
Feel the beating of their hearts,
the life that you made new.
tease and laugh and play,
Listen to what they'll tell you,
they have so much to say.
see the colors in their eyes,
Appreciate that person
that deep inside them lies.
and down your face,
Fill their hearts with words of praise,
make home their favorite place.
and watch a t.v. show,
Sing with them or share a book
and help their world to grow.
hold each other's hand,
Smell the flowers, feed the ducks,
build castles in the sand.
Fathers, hug them tight,
Show them what a gift they are,
to love them feels so right.
by Kathie Davis
Motherhood
Time is running out for my friend.
We are sitting at lunch when she
casually mentions that she and her husband
are thinking of "starting a
family."
What she means is that her biological clock has begun its
countdown,
and she is being forced to consider the prospect of motherhood.
"Do you think
I should have a baby?"
keeping my tone
neutral.
"No more sleeping in on Saturdays, no
more spontaneous vacations..."
I look at my friend trying to
decide what to tell her.
I want her to know what she will never learn
in childbirth classes.
I want to tell her that the physical wounds of
childbearing heal,
but that becoming a mother will leave her with an
emotional wound so raw that she will be forever vulnerable.
again without asking, "What if that had been my child?"
That every plane
crash, every fire will haunt her.
That when she sees pictures of starving
children,
she will look at the mothers and wonder if anything
could be worse
than watching your child die.
think
that she should know that no matter how sophisticated she is,
becoming
a mother will immediately reduce her to the
primitive level of a she-bear
protecting her cub.
That a slightly urgent call of "Mom!"
will cause her to
drop a souffl� or her best
crystal without a moment's hesitation. That the
anger she will feel if that call came over
a lost toy will be a joy she has
never before experienced.
invested in her career she will be professionally derailed by motherhood.
She might successfully arrange for child care, but one day she will be
waiting to go into an important business meeting,
and she will think about
her baby's sweet smell.
She will have to use every ounce of discipline to
keep from running home, just to make sure that he is all right.
will no longer
be routine.
That a visit to McDonald's and a five year old boy's
understandable desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's
will become a major dilemma.
That right there in the midst of clattering
trays and
screaming children issues of independence and gender identity
will be weighed against the prospect that a
child molester may be lurking
in the rest room.
she
will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.
I want to assure her that eventually
she will shed the pounds of pregnancy,
but she will never feel the same way
about herself.
That her life, now so important, will be of less value once
she has a child.
That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring,
but will also begin to long for more years,
not so much to accomplish her own
dreams,
but to watch her child accomplish his.
shiny stretch marks will
become badges of honor.
I know, but not
in the ways she thinks.
I wish she could understand how much more you
can love a man who is always careful to powder the baby
or who never
hesitates to play "bad guys" with his son.
I think she should know that she
will fall in love with her husband again
for reasons she would now find very
unromantic.
throughout history who have tried desperately
to stop war and prejudice and
drunk driving.
learn to hit a baseball. I want to capture for her the belly laugh
of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for the first time.
I want her to taste the joy that is so real it hurts.
tears have formed in my eyes.
"You'll never regret it." I say finally.
Then I reach across the table,
and squeezing my friend's hand,
I offer a prayer for her and me
and all the mortal women who
stumble their way into this holiest of callings.
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