Please let me Mum,
Leave my mess on the floor.
Clothes all around,
And shoved behind the door.
Please let me Mum,
Wear pyjamas all day.
Sleep in the cubby,
Eat breakfast while I play.
Please let me Mum,
Fill my tea cups with dirt.
Mix them with water,
What will it hurt?
Please let me Mum
Go head first down the slide.
Taking these risks
Will thicken my hide.
Please Mum I don’t care,
About latest fashion trends.
Why can’t I wear gumboots,
To lunch with your friends.
The superman cape,
With my Tinkerbell dress.
Why can’t I wear it all,
I don’t want to impress.
It is not how I look,
That is important to me.
It is expressing myself,
And living carefree.
It is not what gets done,
Or how neat that we live.
What makes me happy,
Is the hugs that you give.
Not the ironing, the washing
The beds neatly made.
Laughing with you,
Is how foundations are laid.
The days we relax,
Lie together on the grass.
They are the moments,
I hope will never pass.
Life is quite simple,
I want you to see.
All that I need is your love,
Given so abundantly.
As your Mum I now listen,
To these words that you say.
A change is what’s needed,
Before I drown in dismay.
So often it happens,
That I learn more from you.
From your sweet childhood wonder,
So innocent and True.
The gift that you bring,
To my life everyday.
The depth of my feelings,
My words can never portray.
Let’s skip, and lets dance.
Lets’ paint with our toes.
Please let me kids,
Before your childhood has closed.
Thank you for brightening my day, Karen. I am the mom who spends evenings cleaning instead of playing with my girls.
Jennifer you are not alone.
Have a fun night with the girls tonight
Yes, as I look back, I often feel I was too hard on the kids.. especially my oldest. I always thought she was older than she actually was. It’s funny how in retrospect, the idea of just taking 30 minutes to walk 20 feet seems very appealing!
Oh Seana, how divine to go at such a pace. Yes the parenting gig is quite the tricky one. I do feel the greatest wisdom will actually come when they are all grown up. Until then I will make decisions from the heart and remind myself I am doing the best I can with what I know in this moment.