Song for a Fifth Child

A customer shared this poem with me today. She inquired to see if I could create something with one of the verses on it.

I never heard of it before and immediately fell in love with it. As I've mentioned quite a bit recently, my oldest son is a senior in high school and will be heading off to college in the fall. Perhaps you're familiar with it? But, regardless, I have to share it...

Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, 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 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’s 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.

My babies 10 years ago!

I get so teary eyed reading that last verse! I'm in the stage of motherhood where I see my children growing older and getting ready to leave the nest. I encourage them to go and do what their hearts want, but I feel sadness at he thought of them leaving. I can't believe how fast the years have gone by.

I gotta go and grab some tissues...more sharing on the way...until then,