Three 3 and Under--"If"

Have you heard of the "If" poem by Rudyard Kipling?

Here's my parody of it:

If you can find time to pray and have devotions

while holding little ones on your lap

If you can learn to live for others 24/7

forsaking your own hopes for the day,

If you can learn to go to bed on time,

forsaking your own unwinding time

If you can wipe bottoms from dawn to dusk,

and not flinch when poop gets on your finger,

If you can leave the dishes another day,

and ignore the crunching crumbs beneath your toes,

If you can swallow your pride and lose the ability to impress

even those whose favor you desire

If you can say no to those near and dear to you,

so that you can say yes to the little ones in your care,

If you can learn to manage all the toys, books, clothes, and games

and little shoes that flood your home unceasingly,

If you can learn to calmly handle screaming tantrums and endless fighting between siblings,

If you can arise with the dawn and smile at little motor-mouths that know not how to be silent,

If you can cook and prepare snacks from dawn to dusk with creativity and healthy ingredients,

If you can nurse your baby while doing three other things at the same time,

and gaze at him tenderly in the night when he awakes for yet another feeding,

If you can find the time to smile at your husband, give him a back rub, and spend time with him even if you are exhausted,

If you can offer help to a friend in need, pray for the burdens on your heart, and reach out to your neighbors,

If you can bathe three little ones without letting one drown,

If you can load 3 in carseats in less than 3 minutes,

If you can fix your hair, put on a nice outfit,

and find the time to exercise in your busy day

If you can eat for strength and health

without relying on coffee or chocolate to get you through the day,

If you can wash and fold laundry unceasingly,

and not lose a kid in the clean clothes pile,

Then you will think it easy to be a mom of Three 3 and Under my friend!

If you struggle with any or all of these things, then you are human, my friend, and will need God's help to be a Mom.