Reverse Parenting
It can be hard
watching you grow up
towards independence
Loving you so
feeding you
‘open wide’
changing you
‘not again’
I push you in your stroller
you walk a little more each day
tumbling less
The joy
You learn language
sounds develop into words
words become sentences
Your world expands
At night I gently lay you
on your side
you curl up snug
foetal again
I kiss your forehead
the skin so fine
my lips sense the steady pulse
of your life
Your heart
certain of tomorrow
Parenting Reverse
It can be hard
watching you grow down
towards dependence
Loving you still
feeding you
‘open wide’
changing you
‘not again’
Stumbling more
you walk a little less each day
I push you in your wheelchair
The sadness
You unlearn language
sentences diminish into words
words become sounds
Your world contracts
At night I gently turn you
on your side
you curl up snug
foetal again
I kiss your forehead
the skin so fine
my lips feel the feeble pulse
of your life
Your heart
uncertain of tomorrow
“Being at home can be fun, insulating, relaxed, boring or isolating ... depending on how the day is going.”*
School holidays are almost over in my part of the world – six long weeks of noise and squabbling balanced by hot, lazy days at the beach or the pool with lots of daring exploits and laughter. Many of our days were spent at home, basking in simple pleasures like baking, playing games or outdoor pursuits – trying to relax the everyday routines of school-morning bustle and ‘having to be somewhere on time’. However pleasant, I must admit to being relieved that life gets back to normal next week, and I can reclaim some of my own time for writing again!
* From Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin published April 2007