my life is cased inside so many parentheses
one curve just a reverse,
a repeat of the first
wakeup and bedtime
opening and closing parentheses
form the construct of our days
the one begets the other
and sandwiched between:
cereal O’s (maybe I love these too)
peanut butter and jelly time (every day!?)
bathtime (wash, rinse, repeat)
“Mommy, I need a wipe” (again?)
“Mommy, I’m hungry” (again?)
“Mommy, come play-read-sing to me” (again?)
the song plays on repeat
and don’t you love to hear your favorite song (but it’s probably kid songs playing!)
come on the radio just one more time?
We wake to sleep, one echoing the other
Mommy, Mommy, Mommy
swinging from beds to breakfast to baskets to bath and back again
the tempo never rests
and when this song echos into silence
the refrains so repeated
continue in my pulse
***
Parenting is full of such repetition. Some would say such monotony.
Repetition is actually a very important literary construct. Sure, in some poems, repetition might be used to show monotony of the subject, but that’s hardly the only purpose of repetition in literature. In poetic form, repetition is vital for cadence, form or structure, and emphasis.
Can we say the same about the repetition of parenting? What if we let the “mundane” repeated tasks provide a rhythm to our lives, instead of feeling like they beat us down? Could every mealtime be a refrain of togetherness? Every book read over and over a pleasant chorus?
Routines don’t have to bore us – they can provide form and structure, helping our children feel secure, and learn valuable lessons about organizing time.
The daily laundry, cleaning, even constant harping to pick up toys (I can’t resist pointing out that harping can have two meanings!)… could we instead allow these daily beats to emphasis the beauty of caring for a child from birth to adulthood?
Mama, I know it seems like the thousandth time you’ve told them to pick up their LEGO bricks. Or the millionth reading of Goodnight Moon. And if they take off their shoes in the car one more time…
But… let the repetition of parenting provide a tempo for you to sing to. Form the anatomy of your family body. Become the highlight of your days.
Like all repercussions… eventually the echos even fade into silence. Enjoy the song while it lasts. Then let it play on in your heart.
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What a cool series.
Love this post! Especially the poetry…the line about parantheses makes me so happy!
What a beautiful reframing! We have 5 children plus were foster parents to 35 others, mostly babies — I totally get the doing it over and over…and OVER! We all need routine and I have seen many times how babies and little ones thrive when given an order and routine to their worlds. As much as I crave new and different, I also need order and routine to feel like things are “okay” in my life too. I really like this reminder that the things I think are UGH can be beautiful when I think of them in a new way. Thanks for this fresh perspective!
Thank you so much for this post. I am going to pin this post to remind myself to embrace the gifts and the beauty in the mundane. 🙂
Now having adult (they think they are!) children I so miss the repetitive needs of my three boys. To hear the childlike ‘mommy’ once again! Now that they are older I told my hubby we should have made at least one mama’s boy. We both know that we would rather have them as they are, independent successful young men! Thank you for the post…it brought back great memories!
Oh my!! Every once in a while I find a 31dayer who is truly a kindred. You had me at the poem and then, discussing literary constructs… and naturally, your right on the mark discussion about Mommying and repetition.
I perform a poem where the entire poem is spoken in seven “Moms” across the lifetime.
It is very effective.
Glad to have read you today!!
I don’t have kids…but it all comes back to fully living-and enjoying-life! Even the monotonous, always-the-same-routines, sometimes-boringness of life. It’s still an incredible blessing!
What a cool series.
Love this post! Especially the poetry…the line about parantheses makes me so happy!
Ah, the endless repetition of parenting. Only today my son was asking about dinner. I looked at him with a serious face and said, “Dinner? Didn’t you eat yesterday?”
He grinned in reply.
It is true that routine and rhythm create security in our kids and teach them to trust the world. Thanks for the beautiful post.
What a beautiful reframing! We have 5 children plus were foster parents to 35 others, mostly babies — I totally get the doing it over and over…and OVER! We all need routine and I have seen many times how babies and little ones thrive when given an order and routine to their worlds. As much as I crave new and different, I also need order and routine to feel like things are “okay” in my life too. I really like this reminder that the things I think are UGH can be beautiful when I think of them in a new way. Thanks for this fresh perspective!
Thank you so much for this post. I am going to pin this post to remind myself to embrace the gifts and the beauty in the mundane. 🙂
Now having adult (they think they are!) children I so miss the repetitive needs of my three boys. To hear the childlike ‘mommy’ once again! Now that they are older I told my hubby we should have made at least one mama’s boy. We both know that we would rather have them as they are, independent successful young men! Thank you for the post…it brought back great memories!
Oh my!! Every once in a while I find a 31dayer who is truly a kindred. You had me at the poem and then, discussing literary constructs… and naturally, your right on the mark discussion about Mommying and repetition.
I perform a poem where the entire poem is spoken in seven “Moms” across the lifetime.
It is very effective.
Glad to have read you today!!
I don’t have kids…but it all comes back to fully living-and enjoying-life! Even the monotonous, always-the-same-routines, sometimes-boringness of life. It’s still an incredible blessing!