Hand Prints On the Wall

(Author Unknown)

One day as I was picking
the toys up off the floor,
I noticed a small hand print
on the wall beside the door.

I knew that it was something
that I'd seen most every day,
but this time when I saw it there
I wanted it to stay.

Then tears welled up inside my eyes,
I knew it wouldn't last
for every mother knows
her children grow up way too fast.

Just then I put my chores aside
and held my children tight.
I sang to them sweet lullabies
and rocked into the night.

Sometimes we take for granted,
all those things that seem so small.
Like one of God's great treasures...
A small hand print on the wall.

This is a Home Where Children Live

( Judith Bond )

You may not find things all in place,
Friend, when you enter here.
But, we're a home where children live,
We hold them very dear.

And you may find small fingerprints
And smudges on the wall.
When the kids are gone, we'll clean them up,
Right now we're playing ball.

For there's one thing of which we're sure,
These children are on loan.
One day they're always underfoot,
Next thing you know, they're gone.

That's when we'll have a well kept house,
When they're off on their own.
Right now, this is where children live,
A loved and lived in home.

First Day Of School
( Original Author Unknown )

She started school this morning,
And she seemed so very small.
As I walked there beside her
In the Kindergarten hall.

And as she took her place beside
the others in the class,
I realized how all too soon
Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw her as
She first learned how to walk.
The words that we alone made out
When she began to talk.

This little girl so much absorbed
In learning how to write.
It seems as though she must have grown
To girlhood overnight.

My eyes were blurred by hastily
I brushed the tears away
Lest by some word or sign of mine
I mar her first big day

Oh how I longed to stay with her
And keep her by the hand
To lead her through the places
That she couldn't understand.

And something closely kin to fear
Was mingled with my pride.
I knew she would no longer be
A baby by my side.

But she must have her chance to live,
To work her problems out,
The privilege to grow and learn
What life is all about.

And I must share my little girl
With friends and work and play;
She's not a baby anymore --
She's in Kindergarten today.

Which Parent Will I Be?

( Author Unknown )

"I got two A's," the small boy cried.
His voice was filled with glee.
His father very bluntly asked,
"Why didn't you get three?"

"Mom, I've got the dishes done,"
The girl called from the door.
Her mother very calmly said,
"Did you sweep the floor?"

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away."
His father asked him, with a shrug,
"Did you clean off the clay?"

The children in the house next door
seem happy and content.
The same thing happened over there,
And this is how it went:

"I got two A's,"
the small boy cried,
His voice was filled with glee.
His father very proudly said,
"That's great, I'm glad you belong to me."

"Mom, I've got the dishes done,"
The girl called from the door.
Her mother smiled and softly said,
"Each day I love you more."

"I've mowed the grass," the tall boy said,
"And put the mower away."
His father answered with much joy,
"You've made my day happy."

Children deserve a little praise
For tasks they're asked to do.
If they're to lead a happy life,
So much depends on you.

Daddy's Footsteps

( Author Unknown )

“Walk a little slower, Daddy”,
Said a little child so small.
“I’m following in your footsteps,
And I don’t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they’re hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I’m all grown up,
You’re what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who’ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you.”

A Mother's Prayer

( Author Unknown )

Dear Lord, It's such a hectic day,
With little time to stop and pray,
For Life's been anything but calm,
Since You called me to be a Mom.

Running errands, matching socks,
Building dreams with matching blocks,
Cooking, cleaning, finding shoes,
And other stuff that children lose.

Fitting lids on bottled bugs,
Wiping tears and giving hugs,
A stack of last week's mail to read,
So where's the quiet time I need?

Yet, when I steal a moment, Lord,
Just at the sink or ironing board,
To ask the blessings of Your grace,
I see them, in my small one's face.

That you have blessed me
All the while --
And I stoop to kiss
That precious smile.

Daddy's Hands

( Debi Fisher )

Daddy's hands were rough

he had been working hard

daddy's hands were dirty

from working in the yard

I was outside riding

on my brand new bike

Daddy picked it for me

and it's one I really  like

Now I did not see the dog

run out in front of me

so I crashed my brand new bike

into the old oak tree

Daddy came a ' runnin'

and scooped me up so fast

he went running towards the house

my crashed up bike he passed

He cleaned up all my boo boos

and kissed away my tears

told me he'd repair the bike

even if it took years

Now Daddy's hands didn't seem

so very rough to me

Daddy's hand were gentle

he's my dad and he loves me

From God, With Love  
( Author Unknown )

Children are a blessing sent from God above
For us to care and nurture and most of all to love.
God calls us to be parents and gives us all the tools
And when we feel like giving up, our strength He will renew.

Children are a gift from God
that He so freely lends
To make it through the childhood years,
on Him we must depend.
He must have a presence,
you see it must take three
The parents, child and Christ at the center
to be a family.

From childhood days to a child full grown
Their joys and hurts are a parent's own.
Times of joy and laughter and those times of tears
The times spent raising a child are surely the best of years.

There comes that time in life
when a child will leave the nest.
We must send them off with love and a prayer
and leave to God the rest.

We've shared the Word of God,
we've taught them right from wrong
Now it's time to let them go
and let them write their song.

The faith instilled, the examples lived,
and the lessons taught
All gifts that we've given our child,
which will never be forgotten.
There are many paths a child can take,
right or wrong will remain unknown
But rest assured that in the end,
they all lead back to home.

If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again
( Author Unknown )

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.
I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd teach less about the love of power,
And more about the power of love.