The following verses were compiled for Mothers of all ages, everywhere.

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child."     Author Unknown

	Things Moms Learn
	Love -- A Variation On A  Theme
	A Mother is ...
	Things Mothers Say
	There Is Really No Such Thing ...
	Little Eyes Upon You
	When God Created Mothers
	A Mother's Love
	A Mom's Prayer
	I'd Rather
	A Mother's Prayer
	A Mother
	M-O-T-H-E-R
	What is Mother's Love?
	If I Had My Life To Live Over Again
	"Somebody" Said
	When You Thought I Wasn't Looking
	Are You Ready To Be A Parent?
	To My Grown-Up Son
	If I Had My Children To Raise Over Again
	On Children
	You Are A Marvel
	The First Parent
	I Loved You Enough To...
	A Mother's Dictionary
	The Girl I Used To Be
	Love In The Home

~THINGS MOMS LEARN~

I gave you life,
but cannot live it for you.
I can give you directions,
but I cannot be there to lead you.
I can allow you freedom,
but I cannot account for it.
I can teach you right from wrong,
but I cannot decide for you.
I can offer you advice,
but I cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love,
but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share,
but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you respect,
but I cannot force you to show honor.
I can advise you about friends,
but cannot choose them for you.
I can advise you about sex,
but I cannot keep you pure.
I can tell you about drink,
but I can't say "no" for you.
I can warn you about drugs,
but I can't prevent you from using them. I
can tell you about lofty goals,
but I can't achieve them for you. I
can teach you about kindness,
but I can't force you to be gracious. I
can pray for you,
but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can tell you how to live,
but I cannot give you eternal life.
[Author unknown]

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~LOVE~
A Variation On A Theme


If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I am a housekeeper ... not a homemaker.

If I have time for waxing, polishing and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn of cleanliness ... not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.

Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.

Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.

Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.

Love is present through the trials.

Love reprimands, reproves and is responsive.

Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child, then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.

Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart.

Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection. Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.

As a mother, there is much I must teach my child ... but the greatest of all is
"LOVE."

~ Jo Ann Merrell ~

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"A MOTHER IS .... "

Someone who cares when others care less.
Someone who encourages when others ridicule.
Someone who defends when others condemn.
Someone with patience when others are impatient.
Someone who appreciates when others fail to notice.
Someone who gives security in a world of insecurity.
Someone who is accepting when others reject.
A Mother is a friend for all time, to cherish and protect,
as her achievements will linger for generations.

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~THINGS MOTHERS SAY~

All of us were guided by our mother's voice, wisdom and common sense, even if we didn't think so at the time. Whether we remember what she said fondly, or try to forget these phrases, they are still part of us. Ultimately, without even realizing it, we pass them along to our children, who will in most likelihood pass it on to their children.


Here are a few that maybe you will remember!

• "Someday your face will freeze like that!"

• "What if everyone jumped off a cliff ... Would you do it, too?"

• "You're going to put your eye out with that thing!"

• "How many times do I have to tell you ... Don't throw things in the house!"

• "Close the door behind you. Were you born in a barn?"

• "Don't put that in your mouth ... you don't know where it's already been."

• "Eat those carrots, they're good for your eyes.  Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?"

• "Did you flush?"

• "You can be anything you want to be ... if you just set your mind to it."

• "There's enough dirt in those ears to grow potatoes!"

• "I don't care what "everyone" is doing.  I care what you are doing!"

• "If you can't say something nice ... don't say anything at all."

• "I hope someday you have children just like you."

• "Don't talk with your mouth full!"

• "Always put on clean underwear in the morning, in case you're in an accident."

• "Sit like a lady!"

• "Don't pick ... it'll get infected."

• "I'm not just talking to hear myself talk."

• "I'm going to give you until the count of three."

• "Don't cross your eyes or they'll freeze that way."

• "If you swallow a watermelon seed, a watermelon will grow in your stomach."

• "Men perspire ... ladies glisten."

And last but not least, my personal favorite:

"I LOVE YOU!"

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There Is Really No Such Thing As
Loving Your Children Too Much...


...Don't be afraid to love your children. Love them strongly, gladly, wisely: with your heart, with your arms, with your mind;
with your affection, with your anger, with your truth, with the willingness to reveal yourself to them as a three-dimensional, feeling human being.

Don't fall for the stingy old wives' notion that loving your children too much with "spoil" them, for the degree to which you love them is the degree to which they will be whole, the degree to which, in time, they will be able to give love in return.

~ Daphne Rose Kingma

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~Little Eyes Upon You~

There are little eyes upon you
and they're watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.
There are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And a little boy who's dreaming
of the day he'll be like you.
You're the little fellow's idol,
you're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind about you
no suspicions ever rise.
He believes in you devoutly,
holds all you say and do;
He will say and do, in your way
when he's grown up just like you.
There's a wide-eyed little fellow
who believes you're always right;
and his eyes are always opened,
and he watches day and night.
You are setting an example
every day in all you do;
For the little boy who's waiting
to grow up to be like you.
Author Unknown

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~WHEN GOD CREATED MOTHERS~

When the good Lord was creating Mothers ..... He was into His sixth
day of "overtime." An angel appeared and said, "You're sure doing a lot of fiddling around on this one!"

God nodded and said, "Yes, but have you read the specs on this
order? She has to be completely washable, but not made of plastic.

She has to have 180 moveable parts..... all replaceable.

She'll have to run on black coffee and leftovers.

She'll need a lap that disappears when she stands up.

She'll have to have a kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg
to a disappointed love affair. She will also need six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands?
.....No way!"

"It is not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord.
"It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded and said, "One pair is to see through closed doors
when she asks, "What are you kids doing in there?" ..... although she'll already know.

She needs another pair here in the back of her head that can see
the things she shouldn't have to, but things that she has to know.

And of course, she'll need a set of eyes here in front that will be
able to look at a child when he goofs up. Those eyes will be able to say, "I understand and I love you," and she won't even have to mutter a word."

"Lord," said the angel touching God's sleeve gently, "You had
better go to bed.  Tomorrow...."

"I can't," interrupted the Lord. "I'm so close now to creating
something that is so much like myself, that I just can't stop.

I've already created one who can ..... heal herself when she is
sick, feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger, and can get a nine-year-old to stand under a shower."

Slowly, the angel circled and carefully looked at the model of a
Mother. "It's too soft!" the angel sighed.

"But she's tough!" said the Lord excitedly. You cannot imagine
what this mother will be able to do or the things that she will be able to endure."

The angel asked, "Can she think?"

"Not only can she think, but she will be able to reason and compromise," said the Creator.

Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of
the mother. "There's a leak in her!" the angel pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
A MOTHER'S LOVE OUTLASTS EVERYTHING!

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~A MOTHER'S LOVE~

One calm, bright, sweet, sunshiny day, an angel slipped out of
heaven and came down to this old world and roamed field and forest, city and hamlet. Just as the sun was setting, he spread his wings and said, "Now my visit is over and I must go back to the world of
light. But before I go, I would like to take along some mementos
of my visit here."

He noticed a beautiful flower garden and said, "How lovely and
fragrant these flowers are." He plucked the rarest and most beautiful roses and made a bouquet and said, "I see nothing more beautiful and fragrant than these; I will take them back to heaven with me."

Looking on a little further, he saw a bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked baby, smiling into its mother's face. And he said, "Oh, that baby's smile is even prettier than this bouquet of roses; I will take that, too!"

Then he looked just beyond the cradle and there was a mother's love
pouring out like the gush of a river toward the cradle and the baby. And he said to himself, "Oh, that mother's love is the prettiest thing I have seen on earth; I will carry that, too."

With the three treasures he winged his way back to heaven. When he
got outside the pearly gates, he decided to examine his mementos to see how well they had made the trip.  He looked at the flowers and they had wilted. He looked at the baby's smile and it had faded. He looked at the mother's love and it was still there in all its warmth and in all its pristine beauty.

He threw aside the wilted flowers and the faded smile, and winged
his way through the gates. He led all the hosts of heaven together and said, "Here is the only thing I found on earth that would keep its beauty all the way to heaven ... It is a Mother's Love."

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~A MOM'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 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 week's mail to read
So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet, when I steal a moment, 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 stoop to kiss that precious smile.

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~I'D RATHER~


I'd rather be a Mother ...
than anyone on earth
Bringing up a child or two ...
of unpretentious birth
I'd rather nurse a rosy babe ...
with warm lips on my breast
Than wear a queen's medallion ...
above a heart less blessed.

I'd rather tuck a little child ...
all safe and sound in bed
Than twine a chain of diamonds ...
about my foolish head.
I'd rather wash a smudgy face ...
with round, bright baby eyes,
Than paint the pageantry of fame ...
or walk among the wise.

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~A MOTHER'S PRAYER~

The things I never told you I'd like to tell you now;
Of feelings held contentedly inside my heart to swell;
Of thoughts and dreams, wants and happiness too;
A Mother's prayer to finally share with you.

Lord, govern their lives as you have mine,
Touch them with Your sweet divine,
Make them happy, guide their paths,
Tickle their funnybones, let me hear their laughs.

Dry the tears sliding down their faces,
Hold their hands when the love heart races,
Make them stand tall when the burdens are great,
Prepare them to carry the loads of fate.

Heal the hurts and sufferings of the spirit,
Make them listen until they hear it;
That sweet song of yours that will touch their soul
And carry them forward until they are old.

Lord, let them see the meaning of life,
Protect them from the evils of strife,
Gently guide them in the path of your ways,
I pray, Lord, I pray for them everyday.

I know, Lord, that I fell short many times;
In my guidance as "Mom" there were crimes,
Times that I failed to help them see
The beauty that you have bestowed around me.

Take their hands and lead them forward
Give them strength to avoid the coward
And evil ones that lurk about
Waiting to swallow them up and shout
The conquest of their gentle soul
Provide them the coin to pass the toll.

Please make things right, Lord, once again
To help them to see the meaning of friend
And loved ones that hold them close to the heart
With a Mother that loves them, never apart.

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~A MOTHER~

A mother can be almost any size or age.
She has soft hands and smells good.
A mother likes new dresses, music, a clean house
and her children's kisses.

A mother does not like having her children sick,
temper tantrums, loud noise, or bad report cards.
She can bake good cakes and pies,
but likes to see her children eat vegetables.

A mother is underpaid, has long hours and gets very little rest.
She worries too much about her children.
And no matter how old they are,
she still likes to think of her children as babies.

A mother is the guardian angel of the family,
the queen, the tender heart of love.
She is the best friend anyone ever has.
A Mother is "LOVE."

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~M-O-T-H-E-R~


"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.
Author Unknown

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~WHAT IS A MOTHER'S LOVE?~

It is something that is very, very special.

It is something that no one can really explain.

It's something that is made up of much deep
devotion, joy, pain and sacrifice.

It is endless and unselfish and it endures
whatever may come.

It is full of hopes, dreams, tears and pleasure.

Nothing can ever destroy it or take that
special love away.

It is very patient and forgiving.

A Mother's love is a lifelong commitment
to selflessness.

More often than not, it requires much more
giving than receiving.

But it is something that is given with delight,
gratitude, enthusiasm and much satisfaction.

A Mother's love never fails or falters even
though the heart is breaking.

It is always believing when all the rest of the
world is condemning.

A Mother's love is a splendored miracle that man
cannot understand.

It is something that cannot be measured,
for it has no beginning or no end.

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IF I HAD MY LIFE
TO LIVE OVER AGAIN ...


I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have never bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later ... Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love yous" more "I'm sorrys" but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute ... look at it and really see it and live it ... and never give it back.
Erma Bombeck

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~"SOMEBODY" SAID...~

...a mother is an unskilled laborer. "Somebody" never gave a squirmy infant a bath.

...you know how to be a mother by instinct. Somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

...that "good" mothers never yell at their kids. Somebody's child never sent a baseball through a neighbor's picture window.

...a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in books. Somebody never had a child stuff beans in his nose.

...a mother always adores her children. Somebody never tried to comfort a colicky baby at 3 a.m.

...a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back. Somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies into a cookie-selling brigade.

...the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery. Somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.

...your mother knows you love her, so you don't have to tell her. Somebody isn't a mother."

--by Renee Hawkley
"Welcome Home "Dear Mom" ©Hallmark Cards, Inc.

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~WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING~

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,
and I wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you feed a stray cat,
and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake for me,
and I knew that little things are special things.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I heard you say a prayer, and
I believed there is a God I could always talk to.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I
felt you kiss me goodnight, and I felt loved.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes,
and I learned that sometimes things hurt,
but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw that you cared, and
I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked . . . and wanted to say thanks
for all the things I saw
. . .when you thought I wasn't looking.
Author unknown

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~ARE YOU READY TO BE A PARENT?~

Preparation for parenthood is not just a matter of reading books and
decorating the nursery. Here are 12 simple tests for expectant parents to take to prepare themselves for the real life experience of being a mother or father.

1.) Women: To prepare for maternity, put on a dressing gown and
stick a beanbag chair down the front. Leave it there for nine months.
After nine months, remove 10% of the beans.

Men: To prepare for paternity, go the local drug store, tip the contents of your wallet on the counter, and tell the pharmacist to help himself. Next, go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to its head office. Go home. Pick up the paper and read it for the last time.

2.) Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who
are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels, and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it -- it's the last time in your life that you will have all the answers.

3. To discover how the nights feel, walk around the living room from
5 p.m. until 10 p.m. carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12
pounds. At 10 p.m. put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight, and
go to sleep. Get up at 12 a.m. and walk around the living room again
with the bag until 1 a.m. Put the alarm on for 3 a.m. Since you can't go back to sleep, get up at 2 a.m. and make a pot of tea. Go to bed at 2:45 a.m. Get up again at 3 a.m. when the alarm goes off, sing songs in the dark until 4 a.m. Put the alarm on for 5 a.m. Get up.  Make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

4. Can you stand the mess children make? To find out, smear peanut
butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains. Hide a fish stick behind the stereo and leave it there all summer. Stick your fingers in the flower beds then rub them on the clean walls. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

5. Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems: first buy an
octopus and a string bag. Attempt to put the octopus into the string
bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this--all morning.

6. Get an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a can of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now get a toilet paper tube. Using only scotch tape and a piece of foil, turn it into a Christmas tree. Last, take a milk container, a ping pong ball, and an empty packet of CoCo Puffs and make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.  Congratulations, you have just qualified for a place on the play group committee.

7. Forget the Miata and buy the mini-van. And don't think you can
leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't
look like that. Buy a chocolate ice cream bar and put it in the glove
compartment. Leave it there. Get a quarter. Stick it in the cassette
player. Take a family-size bag of chocolate cookies. Mash them down
the back seats. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car. There!
Perfect!

8. Get ready to go out. Wait outside the toilet for half an hour. Go out the front door. Come in again. Go out. Come back in. Go out again. Walk down the front path. Walk back up it again. Walk down it again. Walk very slowly down the road for 5 minutes. Stop to inspect minutely every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way. Retrace your steps. Scream that you've had as much as you can stand until all the neighbors come
out and stare at you. Give up and go back in the house. You're now
just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

9. Always repeat everything you say at least five times.

10. Go to your local supermarket. Take the nearest thing you can find
to a pre-school child with you. A fully grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight.  Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy. Until you can easily accomplish this DO NOT even contemplate having children.

11. Hollow out a melon. Make a small hole in the side. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side. Now get a bowl of soggy Fruit Loops and attempt to spoon it into the hole of the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
Continue until half of the Fruit Loops are gone. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the floor. You are now ready to feed a 12-month old child.

12. Learn the names of every character from 'Barney and Friends', 'Sesame street', and 'Power Rangers'. When you find yourself singing, "I love you, you love me" at work, you finally qualify as a parent.  Congratulations!

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~TO MY GROWN-UP SON~

My hands were busy through the day
I didn't have much 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
And 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 longer games to play,
No good-night kiss, no prayers to hear . . .
That all belongs to yesteryear.

My hands, once busy, now are still.
The days are long and hard to fill.
I wish I could go back and do
The little things you asked me to.
Janell Sanders

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~IF I HAD MY CHILDREN
TO RAISE OVER AGAIN!~


If I had my child to raise all over again .....

"I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later."

"I'd finger paint more, and point my finger less."

"I'd do less correcting, and more connecting."

"I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes."

"I would care to know less, and know to care more."

"I'd take more hikes and fly more kites."

"I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play."

"I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars."

"I'd do more hugging, and less tugging."

"I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often."

"I would be firm less often, and affirm much more."

"I'd model less about the love of power, and more about the power of love."

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~ON CHILDREN~
From The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."

And he said: Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent
forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

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~YOU ARE A MARVEL~

Each second we live is a new and unique moment
of the universe that will never be again.
And what do we teach our children?
That two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France.

We should say to each of them, Do you know what you are?
You are a marvel. You are unique.
In all the years that have passed,
there has never been another child like you.
Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move.
You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven.
You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel.
And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel?
We must all work to make the world worthy of its children.
Pablo Casals
from Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul

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~THE FIRST PARENT~

Whenever your kids are out of control, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to his kids.  After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve.

And the first thing God said to them was: "Don't."

"Don't what?", Adam asked.

"Don't eat the forbidden fruit", said God.

"Forbidden fruit? Really? Where is it?" Adam and Eve asked, jumping up and down excitedly.

"It's over there," said God, wondering why he hadn't stopped after making the elephants.

A few minutes later, God saw the kids having an apple break and He was very angry.

"Didn't I tell you not to eat that fruit?" the First Parent asked.

"Uh-huh", replied Adam.

"Then why did you do it?", God asked exasperatedly.

"I dunno", Adam answered.

God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own.

Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. But there is a reassurance in this story. IF you have persistently and lovingly tried to give your children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be so hard on yourself. If God had trouble handling his children, what makes you think it should be a piece of cake for you?

Author Unknown

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~I LOVED YOU ENOUGH TO...~

Some day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:

I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

Erma Bombeck

To Index of Verses

~A MOTHER'S DICTIONARY~

AMNESIA: A condition that enables a woman who has gone through labor to have sex again.

BOTTLE FEEDING: An opportunity for Daddy to get up at 2am too!

DEFENSE: What you'd better have around de yard if you're going to let de children play outside.

DROOLING: How teething babies wash their chins.

DUMBWAITER: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert.

FAMILY PLANNING: The art of spacing your children the proper distance apart to keep you on the edge of financial disaster.

FEEDBACK: The inevitable result when the baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.

FULL NAME: What you call your child when you're mad at him.

GRANDPARENTS: The people who think your children are wonderful even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

HEARSAY: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.

IMPREGNABLE: A woman whose memory of labor is still vivid.

INDEPENDENT: How we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.

LOOK OUT!: What it's too late for your child to do by the time you scream it

PRENATAL: When your life was still somewhat your own.

PREPARED CHILDBIRTH: A contradiction in terms.

PUDDLE: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it.

SHOW OFF: A child who is more talented than yours.

STERILIZE: What you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.

STOREROOM: The distance required between the supermarket aisles so that children in shopping carts can't quite reach anything.

TEMPER TANTRUMS: What you should keep to a minimum so as to not upset the children.

TOP BUNK: Where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.

TWO-MINUTE WARNING: When the baby's face turns red and she begins to make those familiar grunting noises.

VERBAL: Able to whine in words

WEAKER SEX: The kind you have after the kids have worn you out.

WHODUNIT: None of the kids that live in your house.

WHOOPS: An exclamation that translates roughly into "get a sponge."

Author Unknown

To Index of Verses

~THE GIRL I USED TO BE~

She came tonight as I sat alone,
The girl I used to be.

And she gazed at me with her earnest eye
And questioned reproachfully.

"Have you forgotten the many plans
And hopes that I had for you?"

"The great career, the splendid fame,
All the wonderful things to do?"

"Where is the mansion of stately height
With all of its gardens rare?"

"The silken robes that I dreamed for you
And the jewels in your hair?"

And as she spoke, I was very sad
For I wanted her pleased with me ...
This slender girl that I used to be.

So gently rising, I took her hand,
And guided her up the stairs

Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay
So innocent, sweet, and fair.

I told her that these are my only gems,
And Precious they are to me.

That silken robe is my Motherhood
Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,
And the only career I know,

Is serving each day in these sheltered walls
For the dear ones who come and go.

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,
She smiled through her tears at me

And I saw the woman I am now ...
Pleased I'm the girl I used to be.

To Index of Verses

~LOVE IN THE HOME~


If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but
have not love, I am a housekeeper--not a homemaker.

If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness--not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.

Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.

Love is present through the trials.
Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.

Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child,
then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.
Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart.

Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.

As a mother, there is much I must teach my child,
but the greatest of all is love.

This page is dedicated to three of my daughters, Robin, Clarice and Dianna, the mothers of my grandchildren.

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