FOR THIS CHILD WE PRAYED

 

Sweet poem about how fast our children grow up and the importance of allowing yourself to relish the moments you have with them. Those of us who have grown children, know this is just way too true. So those of you in the thick of the early years… trust us. J
 



For This Child We Prayed…  

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dust pan, poison the moth
Hang out the washing and butter the bread
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo)
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo)
The shopping is not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo)

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

By Ruth Hulburt Hamilton 

Misty of Chincoteague series

Looking for a good book series to read with your children?  We just finished the Misty series, by Marguerite Henry and they were very heartwarming stories.  Even though my children are not devoted horse book fans, these stories were very enjoyable.  I think it's because the stories are about more than the horse, but about family relationships as well.  Non horse lovers will enjoy these books too. 
    I liked them because they are more fact than fiction, and all the characters are real people and the events were real, etc. The author takes some liberty with the timeline of events, but most of the circumstances and events actually  happened.  Sometimes when reading, my kids will comment about a particular event or ending in a book... "It happened that way because it is a story".  But in this case, it is a story, because it happened that way!  Rich east coast history, sweet family relationships, sensitive and respectful of God's creatures... all found in these books.  We laughed and cried ( okay, I cried) and enjoyed every chapter.  So many books marketed to kids nowadays are either twaddle or trashy.  It was refreshing to read good children's literature and based on a true story as well. 

  The sequels to Misty are Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague and Stormy: Misty's Foal, and they continue with the same themes., and are available at the library.  




One more thing... the movie Misty is available on DVD at the library as well.  It is a cute movie from the 1960's and I sure appreciate being able to watch a wholesome film with my children.  But like many movies based on books, it doesn't compare to the actual book, in character develop, life lessons learned, or heart and soul.  Nice choice for a Family Movie Night for the whole family, but not til after you read the books.