Poems
Below is a small collection of poems from "Keeping Your Sanity While Loving and Letting Go of Your Teen".
Courage
G
od was clever
Babies are so cute ....
But I did not sign up for
the
job I now hold.
You need more courage,
to
be more bold.
It's my turn to tantrum and whine and pout.
These teens in my home are wearing me out.
But who will do it,
provide
those walls
I no longer need breasts,
now
I need balls.
Holding on and Letting Go
I
only have two hands
One left .... one right
How do I know when to let go
And when to hold on tight?
It used to be so clear and bright
But now this paradox keeps me up at night.
Do I hold on first with my left
And then let go twice with my right?
Or is it a rhythm I can't hear
That contributes to this fight?
I know you have to grow up,
Spread those wings and fly.
I want you to, I need you to
but the stakes are just so high.
So I am calling up my wisdom
To help us through this stage
Because I know we will get through it.
But I'll be three times my age.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Parent
Who are your allies?
Who can be objective about your situation?
Who can share in your family's joys and triumphs?
And be in your turmoil with no judgment or humiliation?
Who can see the strengths of your family?
Where can you get that vital information?
Ask, "Is this struggle an opportunity for growth?"
And, "Where can I get some education?"
Who has walked a mile in your shoes?
And speaks from their heart with no hesitation?
In the old days we had neighborhoods and extended families.
Today it can feel like a single family nation.
This is about letting go of you having to have all the
answers and welcoming collaboration.
You can keep your job as the parent.
There's just no reason to do it in isolation.
Shout
I feel like a traitor
I just want to shout
To all those young mothers
who keep popping them out.
"Stop Now!
They
don't stay small!
They
grow up real fast!
And
you won't know it all!
There is a big secret that you should know
BEFORE they multiply and start to grow.
You have on the blinders and earplugs as well!
Hear me! There's no Brazelton for this teenage hell!
What do I hear?
Oh..... yours will be different?
Cause
you'll do it right?
Play groups, piano, ballet and insight?
But we don't want to tell
It's a big conspiracy
If you knew about those teen years
You would have chosen celibacy.
(It could
be the end of our species.)
What if parents talked about what is?
Let the truth be plenty?
Maybe science would solve it
and hatch them at twenty!
The Parent Code of Silence
My kid has straight A's
And won some big trophies
Time for college visits.
How 'bout those SATs?
Call the school about that A-.
Don't make that Eagle project too tough.
Got to get more on that college application.
There is never enough.
We are busy, busy, busy.
We look so good, good, good.
But what is really going on
In your neighborhood?
hood?
hood?
Blink
How do you know when
there's a turn in the tide?
It is ever so subtle,
with hardly a blink of an eye.
You might miss it
Unless you are immersed.
You've got to feel it
this can't be rehearsed.
It's like those teen years.
They quietly swim up.
Bodies change, attitudes shift,
No longer a pup.
The goal is to take
what we once thought we owned.
Hand it back to the child,
because this kid was on loan.
Wings Block the Sun
How
does a butterfly break out of a cocoon?
I've only just heard about it.
Is this what I am living with my teen?
I think there's no doubt about it.
Mother Nature knew what to do.
Wrap them up, warm and snuggly.
But when they grow big and the quarters get tight
THAT's when it seems to get ugly.
We cocoons like our jobs.
It gives us so much enjoyment.
When they get strong and fly away
That is surely our unemployment.
And what if they really aren't ready to fly?
What if their wings just aren't fit?
What if instead of beautiful spots and wings,
they crawl out and decide to just sit?
It's those 'what ifs' that fuel our cocoons.
They keep us close by in a hover.
But our shadow can block that butterfly's view
And their path on which to discover.
This end to our cocoonhood
Does not happen in a flash.
It stretches on and on for years.
Sometimes quietly and other times a crash.
Each teen will break out in his own way.
Unique maps, clocks and fate.
But break out and fly you know they must.
That's Mother Nature's mandate.
It is their struggle out that gives their wings strength.
It is a MUST that these struggles they own.
Pass it over to them to figure things out.
Because essentially a butterfly goes it alone....