Ode to Motherhood Reminds Us to Cherish Every Moment

We’ve all been guilty of wishing time would pass more quickly than it does.

And yet somehow, at the end of every week, I’m always both surprised it’s finally the weekend, and unsure how it got here so quickly.

One mother recently went viral for publishing her unsigned poem on the topic, specifically as it relates to motherhood, and how quickly children seem to grow up.

The poem, originally published on BelleBebes really struck a chord with parents everywhere.

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The poem begins by evoking the universal exhaustion of new-parenthood.

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 had 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, happy changes and crying, whining and fighting, naps or lack of naps, it might seem like a never-ending cycle.

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Then the writer adds a warning about how fleeting babyhood actually is, in the grand scheme of time marching.

But don't forget... There is a last time for everything. There will come a time when you will feed your baby for the last time. They will fall asleep on you after a long day and it wil 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, they never reach for it again.

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For the record I just want to say, I will never not reach for my dad’s hand when walking together, so fear not, parents.

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The poem continues with a litany of other “last times” — but if you’re feeling morose, just remember, for every last time, there’s another new “first time” too.

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 one day run to you with arms raised, for the very last time.

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The poet ends with a warning to cherish every moment.

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 realise. 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.

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It’s true that kids grow up quickly.
But the same urgency could be applied to any aspect of life.
Time passes, that is the nature of time.

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Last year we longed for the days when we could go out, but we rediscovered the simple pleasures of staying home.
Now we are beginning to emerge. And some of us are realizing we didn’t mind staying in.

My dad always said, “Don’t wish your life away,” and the same is true for those childhood tantrums.
Hold your kids close. Cherish every moment.
What do you think of her poem? Share your thoughts in the comments.