Lately I ponder how it would be
If each child had come with a handbook
It could be delivered after their birth
I would surely take more than a quick look
It would tell me their quirks
So that I’d be better prepared
Then I would be ready
More of my brown hairs would be spared
Ira’s book would warn of the trials of being 17
Able to work, drive and play football
Attached to his phone more than I like
Likes to remind me that he’s quite tall
When he is frustrated, he will clam right up
And I should be calm and not lose my cool
Be patient and kind, being a teenager is tough
Bite my tongue before I say something cruel
It would have a chapter on deer and tractors
And it would warn me early on of his passions
It would tell me to take great comfort
For this boy is ignorant of most popular fashions
The book about my dear 14-year-old Dane
Would be colorful and thick
Notes about his need to have something in his hands
From yarn to work with, or magnets that form and stick
A page or two about his temper that will flare
When sleep has run short and he’s overtired
Sometimes this mom forgets to show compassion
Sometimes this mom thinks she should be fired
It would have a chapter listed with bullet points
He will need to know the plans for the day
It is imperative to know for certain what’s scheduled
From that list we must try not to stray
Henry, an operator of equipment already at 10
His book would read of his love for tools, wheels and gears
Tell me to be expecting much worry
He will be driving big things in his young years
It will note that he will be an angry door-slammer
He harbors a stubborn streak and can be silent for hours
But, on the flip side, his hugs are the best, given freely
These are the things that hold magical mom-calming powers
There will be pages on his uncanny drawing ability
Sketching entire scenes from memory, just like he saw
He is third in the lineup and will want to be Ira
His looks favor Uncle Tony, personality favors his Pa
The handbook on Cora will be flowery and pink
Written in large letters it will say:
Be prepared, she is you, she is wild
And she will wear five dresses in one day
She will possess the need to care for all creatures
She will observe and ask questions, seeking to know
This girl will surprise you with her ideas
It will be amazing watching her mind grow
She will be a bright spot, a whirlwind
When she gets frustrated, oh, beware
In a matter of mere seconds
She will flip her lid without care
I haven’t found these books yet in my reading stash
I suppose I’ll continue to muddle my way through
Winning, failing, trying to do better each day
Telling myself to do the best I can do
Jacqui and her family milk 800 cows and farm 1,200 acres of crops in the northeastern corner of Vernon County, Wisconsin. Her children, Ira, Dane, Henry and Cora, help her on the farm while her husband, Keith, works on a grain farm. If she’s not in the barn, she’s probably in the kitchen, trailing after little ones or sharing her passion of reading with someone. Her life is best described as organized chaos, and if it wasn’t, she’d be bored.
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