Song for a Fifth Child

This poem is so great. Thank you Barbara!

Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

 Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
 Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
 Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
 Sew on a button and make up a bed.
 Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
 She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

 Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
 (Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby 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 her eyes the most wonderful hue?
 (Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

 The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
 For 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.
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When I first got home from the hospital, someone was sending around this article. It really struck a chord with me and I try to be mindful of this every day. When the girls are being sweet and just hanging out quietly, I could reach for my phone and check facebook, but I make an effort to remember that they will never be this age again, and to put the phone down and enjoy their smiles and cuddles today.