Messes & Children

Here's a clip from one of my groups that really touched me. The author of the below post, Kelly, is so correct in what really matters.

Sincerely,
Vicki,
Mom to ds 10, dd 16 & dd 18.
The years really do fly by fast. Enjoy them:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I cross-stitched this for a pillow in Cameron's room 20 years ago:

I hope that my child, looking back on today
Will remember a mother who had time to play;
Because children grow up while you're not looking,
There are years ahead for cleaning and cooking.
So, quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep.
I'm nursing my baby, and babies don't keep.

It was by that prolific author, Anonymous.


This one has an author:

Babies Don't Keep

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

My boys are 12 and 20, and my house is usually fairly straight. But that wasn't always the case! You DON'T get this time back. And no matter how many people say that to you, I know it comes in garbled and unintelligible right now with two children, three and five. But one day you will understand what we're saying. It'll be sooo clear then.

You can *choose* to hear us now though. And before too long, folding those tee-niney little t-shirts will be a very distant---and sweet---memory. And when you find a stray Lego under the dresser that hasn't been moved for years, you'll smile. I promise.

Laundry and dirty dishes will *always* be there. Mine still are. But those children will *never* be five and three again. I guarantee that!~Kelly

Kelly Lovejoy
Conference Coordinator
Live and Learn Unschooling Conference
http://www.liveandlearnconference.org/