Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Before I was a Mom...

A friend emailed this poem to me. I would normally find these sorts of things sappy, but this one made me cry.


Before I was a Mom

Before I was a Mom...
I slept as late as I wanted
and never worried
about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom...
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on. Spit on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests.
Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom...
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh Char - this absolutely nails it on the head. Now I'm sitting here at the computer having a melt-down. I never dreamed being a mom would be such an amazing experience. Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I truly understand what my little sister is experiencing...before Charlene was a Mom, I didn't know babies could fart so loud. Truly amazing!

Uncle Dennis

Joanne said...

One day when my daughter was doing something very adorable I looked at my mom and said "Isn't she amazing?" My mom turned to me and replied, "Now you know what someone thought about you". Damn! I hate when she's right!!