Poetry Celebrating Parenthood

You can have your wealth and riches; all the things so many seek
Position, power, fine success, the fame you long to keep.
You can earn so much you wish for, reach a status high above,
But none of these can equal...Having one sweet child to love.

'Tis the greatest gift from heaven, little arms that hold you tight,
And a kiss so soft and gentle when you tuck them in at night.
A million precious questions, and each story often read,
Two eyes so bright and smiling, and a darling tousled head.

God can never match the goodness of a trusting little face
Or a heart so full of laughter, spreading sunshine every place.
A child to hold and cuddle, 'tis a gift from God above,
And the world is so much brighter when you have a child to love.

This is a Home Where Children Live

You may not find things all in place, Friend, when you enter here,
but this is a home where children live, we hold them very dear.

And you may find small fingerprints and smudges on the wall.
When the kids are grown we'll clean them up; right now we're playing ball.

For there's one thing of which we're sure: these children are on loan.
One day they're always under foot, next thing you know, they're grown.

That's when we'll have a well-kept house, when they're off on their own.
Right now this is where children live, a loved and lived-in home.

Today

Today I'll hold my baby's hand, and take time to explore
The secrets of my baby's world, this moment has in store.
For that same hand will wave goodbye, when baby days have passed,
Today I'll hold my baby's hand, for babies grow so fast.

A Prayer for Mothers of Small Children

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my sanity to keep.
For if some peace I do not find,
I'm pretty sure I'll lose my mind.

I pray I find a little quiet
Far from the daily family riot
May I lie back--not have to think
about what they're stuffing down the sink,
or who they're with, or where they're at
and what they're doing to the cat.

I pray for time all to myself
(did something just fall off a shelf?)
To cuddle in my nice, soft bed
(Oh no, another goldfish--dead!)

Some silent moments for goodness sake
(Did I just hear a window break?)
And that I need not cook or clean
(well heck, I've got the right to dream)

Yes now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my wits about me keep,
But as I look around I know—
I must have lost them long ago!

Little Housewife

I'm just a little housewife
With dishes three times a day.
With laundry and cleaning and cooking
And toys to put away.
Now it's not that I mind the housework,
Or the screaming kids at play.
It's that husband that burns me
When he says with a smile....
DID YOU DO ANYTHING TODAY???!!!

A Mother's Prayer

Dear Lord, it's such a hectic day
With little time to stop and pray
For life's been anything but calm
Since You called on me to be a Mom
Running errands, matching socks
Building dreams with wooden blocks
Cooking, cleaning, finding shoes
And other stuff that children lose
Fitting lids on bottled bugs
Wiping tears and giving hugs
A stack of last weeks mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?
Yet when I steal a minute, Lord
Just at the sink or ironing board
To ask the blessings of Your grace
I see then, in my small one's face
That you have blessed me all the while
And I stop to kiss that precious smile

IF

If a child lives with criticism, He learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, He learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, He learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, He learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, He learns to be patient.
If a child lives with praise, He learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, He learns justice.
If a child lives with security, He learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, He learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, He learns to find love in the world.

Fingerprints

Sometimes you get discouraged
because I am so small
and always leave my fingerprints
on furniture and walls

But everyday I'm growing
I'll be grown up someday
And all those tiny handprints
will surely fade away.

So here's a little handprint
just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
when I was very small.

Growing Up

We wonder where the time went, you only just came home
We thought you'd stay forever small, now we watch you start to roam.

You trust the fact that I'll be there, and with your daddy's smile
You reach into my very soul, Oh, please stay young awhile...

Your sister wants to play with you, she'll share her favorite doll
I breathe in deep your baby scent, and let you down to crawl

These days that pass are filled with joy, as you find something new
And with our minds now opened wide, we're growing up with you

Our family is forever blessed, with the preciousness of you
And though we wish you'd stay a babe, can't wait till you turn two.

My Baby Boy & Me

It's 3 AM, they're all asleep,
And no one's here to see
As we rock slowly back and forth,
My baby boy & me.

His little head is feather light
Tucked up against my chin.
I hold his tiny hand in mine
And stroke his baby chin.

The house about us creaks and groans,
The clock hands creep around.
He snuggles closer to me still
And makes his baby sounds.

I love these quiet hours so much
And cherish every one.
Store memories up inside my heart
For lonely nights to come.

All too soon he'll be grown up,
His need for Mommy gone.
But until then I still have time
For kisses and for song.

Time for quiet hours like this
With him cuddled in my arms,
Where I wish he'd always stay,
Protected, safe and warm.

And yet I know the day will come
When this tiny little hand
Will be much bigger than my own
He'll grow to be a man.

But until then he's mine to love,
With no one here to see
As we rock slowly back and forth,
My baby boy and me.

Beginnings Never End

The first breath of a newborn baby whose cry proclaims its birth,
A mother's joy, the boundless love that angels brought to earth.

The first word from those tiny lips our eager ears would hear.
The roll, the crawl, the sitting up, the first steps of that year.

The day he went to preschool, the painful letting go,
The little shepherd caroling, in the Christmas show.

The disappointment in those eyes that gripped his anxious face,
The first time that he didn't make the journey to first base.

The promises of caring for the puppy that he's found,
The pretty girl that caught his eye with pigtails neatly wound.

The first dance that he went to where he stood against the wall,
The football game when, finally, they let him catch the ball.

The time you gave him car keys---that first trip on his own,
The graduation day that showed the pride you'd always known.

The tears that you held back as you watched him take a bride,
The piece of you that hugs his heart, he'll always keep inside.

The grandson that he brought you mirrored reflections in your eyes,
Of a little boy that you once held beneath the warm blue skies.

From beginning to beginning, there's a message that we send.....
That from the day when we are born, beginnings never end.

Regrets

My hands were busy through the day,
I didn't have the time to play
The little games you asked me to,
I didn't have much time for you.
I'd wash your clothes, I'd sew and cook,
But when you'd bring your picture book
And ask me please to share your fun
I'd say "A little later, Son."
I'd tuck you in all safe at night,
Hear your prayers, turn out the light,
Then tiptoe softly to the door,
I wish I'd stayed a minute more.
For life is short, the years rush past,
A little boy grows up so fast.
No longer is he at your side,
His precious secrets to confide.
The picture books are put away,
There are no children's games to play.
No goodnight kiss, no prayers to hear,
That all belongs to yesteryear.
My hands once busy now lie still,
The days are long and hard to fill,
I wish I might go back and do
The little things you asked me to.

A Family Man

I demand you act when I call
At this age every object taunts
I expect to receive all my wants

All the physical things I do
Only seem to tire you
But someday you'll see my energy
Being given to my family

Then I'll be a man, six-foot tall
I'll be there when they call
To hug them when the dark world haunts
And teach them to control their wants

So mom when it seems that I make trouble
Guide me along and love me double
And through you I will see
How to raise My family

A Careful Man

A careful man I want to be
A little fellow follows me
I do not care to go astray
For fear he'll go the self-same way
I cannot once escape his eyes
What he sees me do-he tries.
Like me-he says he's going to be-
that little chap that follows me.
He thinks that I am big and fine
He believes in every word of mine
The base in me-he must not see-
That little chap that follows me.
I must remember as I go-
Thru summer sun and winter snow-
I'm building for the years to be-
That little chap that follows me.

My Precious Little Boy

Thank you, God, for children
And toothpaste in the sink.
For holes in knees of brand new jeans
and for one more night time drink.

Thank you, God, for tiny feet
who track dirt through the house.
For chocolate chips and smiling lips
and friends like Mickey Mouse.

For sticky hands and dirty socks
and toys strewn on the floor.
A lemonade stand, the ice cream man
and treasures to explore.

Thank you, God, for little hands
with dandelion bouquets.
For good cartoons, birthday balloons,
for time we have to play.

Someday my house will quiet down,
but for now I will enjoy...
the time each day to run and play
with my precious little boy!

I Took His Hand and Followed

My dishes went unwashed today,
I didn't make the bed,
I took his hand and followed
Where his eager footsteps led.
Oh yes, we went adventuring,
My little son and I . . .
Exploring all the great outdoors
Beneath the summer sky.
We waded in a crystal stream,
We wandered through a wood . . .
My kitchen wasn't swept today
But life was warm and good.
We found a cool, sun dappled glade
And now my small son knows
How Mother Bunny hides her nest,
Where Jack-in-the-pulpit grows.
We watched a robin feed her young,
We climbed a sunlit hill . . .
Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,
We plucked a daffodil.
That my house was neglected,
That I didn't brush the stairs,
In twenty years, no one on earth
Will know, or even care.
But that I've helped my little boy
To noble manhood grow,
In twenty years, the whole wide world
May look and see and know.

Walk A Little Plainer Daddy

Walk a little plainer Daddy
said a little boy so small

I'm following in your footsteps
and I don't want to fall

Sometimes your steps are very plain
sometimes they are hard to see

So walk a little plainer daddy
for you are leading me

I know that once you walked this
way many years ago

And what you did along the way
I'd really like to know

For sometimes when I'm tempted
I don't know what to do

So walk a little plainer daddy
for I must follow you

Someday when I'm grown up
you are like I want to be

Then I will have a little boy
who will want to follow me

And I would want to lead him right
and help him to be true

So walk a little plainer daddy
for I must follow you.

Little Shoes

In the top drawer of her dresser is one pair of little shoes
And a pair of little booties from which her Mom can choose.
Although she cannot walk just yet, out with her mom she goes
For strolls in different shades of pink from her head down to her toes.

But soon the little newborn has to a toddler grown;
In patent-leather party shoes she's walking all alone.
But someone's watching closely as she takes each shaky stride,
And though she may not notice it, her mom is at her side.

The nursery's now a bedroom, the baby's crib is gone,
The little girl is off to school with brand-new sneakers on.
She skips onto the schoolyard with a step as light as air,
While mom, though smiling bravely, feels at loose ends standing there.

The little girl grows older, and with each passing year,
Her first high-heels and cowgirl boots eventually appear.
And then, as if by magic, the little girl is grown,
She wears the latest fashions bought with earnings of her own.

Then one fine day she's walking with her father at her side,
In shoes of fine white satin, for now she is a bride.
I wonder where the time has gone, and wistfully recall
My little girl, in little shoes, so innocent and small.

And now I am a Grandmother, and Daughter, you're a Mom,
Your little newborn daughter is the sunshine of your home.
The top drawer of her dresser is filled with little shoes,
And many pairs of booties from which you now can choose.

Cherish each passing moment, the laughter and the tears,
For days go by so swiftly, and gather soon to years.
The little shoes she will outgrow before you realize,
She'll blossom like a summer's rose, before your very eyes.

Be always there to walk with her when up against the odds,
Make sure she knows that she can count on mother and on God.
And though she'll spread her wings and fly, as all our daughters do,
One day she'll wear a mothers shoes, and she'll come home to you

Poems for Parents of Multiples

Double Trouble

by Al Willis

Twins are double trouble, they cry, they smash, they tear.
They break and spill and bite and scratch, and pull each other's hair.
They practice art upon the walls and yank electric plugs.
And cookies, milk and something else, get ground into the rugs.
They drive their mother crazy, their father is berserk,
He's glad when Monday comes around so he can go to work.
The diaper pails are filled again; the laundry tub's piled high.
The doctor bills (and others, too) are mounting to the sky.
So if you have a single child, as placid as a dove,
Contain your envy, if you can; we have a double love!

Two of Everything

There's two to wash, there's two to dry;
There's two who argue, there's two who cry.
One's in the mud, having a ball,
The other holds a crayon, another marked wall.
Some days seem endless, my patience wears thin.
Oh why was I chosen to be the mother of twins?
The answer is clear at the end of the day,
As I tuck them both in and to myself say,
"There's two to kiss, there's two to hug,
And best of all, there's two to love."

The Mother of Twins

by Larry Howland

A meeting was convened one day
in Heaven's sacred hall.
The ideal mother must be found
for twins so sweet and small.

She must be patient, first of all,
And kind and calm and wise.
And capable of chasing tears
Away from little eyes.

She'd have to put her children first
And be so very smart.
Have dedication and resolve,
A sweet and loving heart.

They all agreed you were the best --
No other mom would do.
Yes, Heaven found the perfect one
And sent those twins to you!

Twins

by Larry Howland

So many good things come in pairs,
Like ears and socks and panda bears.
But best of all are sets of twins,
With extra laughter, double grins.

There's so much fun in having two
With twice as many points of view.
So much alike, forever linked,
And yet they're also quite distinct.

They share a birthday and a name
But moods and tempers aren't the same.
Although at times they may dispute,
Their loyalty is absolute.

From days of youth till life is done,
It's one for both and both for one.
We're all quite novel and precise,
But special folks -- God made them twice!

Grandmother of Twins

by Larry Howland

Her happy smile is plain to see,
And grandma's proud as she can be.
For when the children come in twos,
It's double hugs and "I love you's."

With grandma there is no debate;
She'll quickly tell you they're first rate.
She seldom gives our ears a rest
Describing how they are the best.

She carries pictures in her purse
Of poses many and diverse.
It's time to brag, look there she goes!
Each picture taken, Grandma shows!

If they are naughty all day long,
She still will claim they've done no wrong.
She loves those twins, without a doubt
'Cause that's what Grandma's are all about.

Triplets