Stress can envelop, encircle, entangle.
Strictures can pressure from every angle.
Tripping and slipping to ways that are errant
happen to all who endeavor to parent.
What should you do when in need of a breather?
Run or surrender? The answer is neither.
Here are some morsels you might tightly cling to.
Try them for size and assess if they ring true.
Speak with kind gentleness. Make it habitual.
Pause when you’re furious. Make that a ritual.
Words can cause injury, or they can bolster.
Weapons of warfare should stay in your holster.
Look in their eyes when you share your emotion.
Time and attention will prove your devotion.
Show them your love, since for them, that is bliss.
Put them to bed with a hug and a kiss.
Treat them with methods and means that are measured.
Children are gifts that should truly be treasured.
