For Mothers & Fathers

For a mother

A careful mother I must be,
A little daughter follows me.
I do not dare to go astray,
For fear she'll go the self same way.
She's only just a bit past three,
But I see in her a smaller me.
Like me she says she's going to be,
This precious babe who follows me.
She likes to help me cook and sew,
She follows me where'er I go.
Not once can I escape her eyes,
Whate'er I do she always tries.
She acts like I'm almost divine,
Believes in every word of mine.
The base in me she must not see,
This trusting child who follows me.
Lord, make me conscious as I go,
Through summer sun and winter snow,
That she'll be what she's trained to be.
A future mother follows me.
--Martha E. Lambert



And for fathers....


There are little eyes upon you,
And they're watching night and day;
There are little ears that quickly
Take in everything you say;
There are little hands all eager
To do everything you do,
And a little boy who's dreaming
Of the day he'll be like you.

You're the little fellow's idol,
You're the wisest of the wise;
In his little mind about you
No suspicions ever rise;
He believes in you devoutly,
Holds all that you say and do,
He will say and do it your way
When he's grown up just like you.

There's a wide-eyed little fellow
Who believes you're always right,
And his ears are always open,
And he watches day and night.
You are setting an example
Every day in all you do
For the little boy who's waiting
To grow up to be like you.

--Leslie Hale