21/12/2019
Childhood Does Not Wait
I was sitting on a bench while in a nearby mall
When I noticed a young mother with two children who were small
The youngest one was whining, โPick me upโ I heard him beg
But the motherโs face was angry as the child clung to her leg.
โDonโt hang on me,โ she shouted, as she pushed the child away I wished Iโd had the courage to go up to her and say...
The time will come too quickly when those little arms that tug
Wonโt ask for you to hold them or wonโt freely give a hug.
The day will sneak up subtly, just as it did with me,
When you wonโt recall the last time your child sat on your knee
Like those sacred, pre-dawn feedings when we cherished time alone
Our babies grow and leave behind those special times weโve known.
So when you child comes to you with a book that you can share
Or asks that you may tuck him in or help him say his prayer...
When he comes to sit and chat or would like to take a walk,
Before you answer that you canโt because thereโs no time to talk.
Remember what all parents learn so many times too late,
That years go by too quickly and childhood doesnโt wait. Take every opportunity, if one should slip away
Reach hard to get it back again, donโt wait another day.
I watched that mother walk away, her children followed near I hope sheโll pick them up, before her chances disappear.
Kathie Davis