…sigh…..
Motherhood began with tiny hands
and lessons taught the practical way:
how to hold a spoon, tie a lace,
and find the thing that’s right there
where I said it was –
a skill still under review.
I learned to listen with one ear
for “Mum!” from somewhere in the house,
and with the other for suspicious silence.
I learned that “I’m not hungry”
could mean “I’ll eat yours,”
and that a mother’s day has no
official closing hours.
There were days of stories, scraped knees,
homework, hurried meals and missing socks;
days when love felt like a thousand small jobs
wearing one very tired face.
Some days I sighed. Some days I snapped.
Some days I wanted five quiet minutes
and got four –
which, in motherhood, counts as a holiday.
For years I stayed alert:
to fevers, feelings, footsteps,
the changing weather in your voice.
No full switch-off, no proper respite –
just a heart on permanent night duty
and a mind with far too many tabs open.
More than two decades have passed,
but life still has its battles and its wars.
You’ve grown; I’ve learned to stand nearby
while you find your own way through.
And now your birthday comes around:
the candles, the calls, the cake, the cheer –
then celebrations spilling into days,
because one day is never quite enough.
When all the fuss has settled,
when the plates are washed and the messages slow,
I know another moment will find its place
among the million I’ve gathered:
you saying something I hadn’t heard before,
seeing some old truth in a new light,
your mind opening another window
as you keep growing into yourself.
And I’ll be there, still learning you –
still proud, still amused, still occasionally
asking if you’ve eaten.
Because a mother’s heart may give you room
to travel wherever your life may lead,
but it keeps a little lamp lit
and a birthday cake in mind,
just in case you come home hungry.
#Motherhood #A mothersLove #BirthdayBoy #MySonMyHeart #GrowingTogether #MumLife #TheLittleThings #MotherAndSon #AlwaysOnDuty #ProudMum #BirthdayLove #AHeartFullOfMemories
