This one's for you mums and dads (and especially those either with young children, or expecting soon). Yesterday was my daughter's 5th Birthday. Time flies, etc. This week, someone suggested I post something about first impressions, and the magic of a good handshake. It's such a tired, cliche subject for a recruitment blog though, that I simply can't be bothered to write it, and instead of wasting ten minutes of my life penning a list of 'funny' handshake types (and then asking you to waste three minutes of yours by reading it) I'm going to treat you instead to one of my favourite poems. I don't have many 'favourite poems', because I'm not really a poem person, but this piece of writing has a superpower. It has the ability to make you appreciate being a parent, even in those tough moments with a newborn/toddler when you feel you might well just go completely mad. It's made me cry several times, but always in a good way. In fact, just about every time I read it, I well up. If you have young kids, I'm willing to bet you will too.
The poem is called 'The last time', and true to form I just welled up a little bit as I typed this line of text.
The Last Time.
From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,
you will never be the same.
You might long for the person you were before,
When you have freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.
You will know tiredness like you never knew it before, And days will run into days that are exactly the same, Full of feedings and burping, Nappy changes and crying, Whining and fighting, Naps or a lack of naps, It might seem like a never-ending cycle.
But don’t forget … There is a last time for everything. There will come a time when you will feed your baby for the very last time. They will fall asleep on you after a long day And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.
One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down, And never pick them up that way again. You will scrub their hair in the bath one night And from that day on they will want to bathe alone. They will hold your hand to cross the road, Then never reach for it again. They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles, And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.
One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus” and do all the actions, Then never sing them that song again. They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate, The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone. You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face. They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.
The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time Until there are no more times. And even then, it will take you a while to realize.
So while you are living in these times, remember there are only so many of them and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them. For one last time.
-Author Unknown-
I hope this gives some context to someone when you're doing it tough at 3am, or your kid's throwing tanty shapes on the floor of Coles. Please share.
