I"ll Love You Forever

One of my favorite children's books is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. If you haven't read this wonderful book, it's about a mother who rocks her baby back and forth, back and forth, back and forth while softly singing:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
my baby you'll be.

I always change the third line because I truly believe that family relationships go beyond this life and so when I read this book to my children I say:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
For time and forever
my baby you'll be.


As her baby grows, the mother continues to sneak in her son's bedroom and rock her little boy back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Even when her growing boy became a teenager and later an adult she would crawl across his floor, pick up her great big boy, and rock him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth singing softly:

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
For time and forever
my baby you'll be.

Perhaps because of this book, I like to grab my daughters occasionally and ATTEMPT to rock them back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. My lap doesn't hold them very well but it satisfies my mother-longing--to remind them that I will ALWAYS love them and they will ALWAYS be my baby.


Well, Wednesday night after American Idol, (side note: I LOVED Scotty and Lauren's performances) I was flipping through the channels to see if there was something worthwhile watching as I continued working on a top. secret. young. woman. project. (Don't you want to know what it is? Details will follow!)


I came across the Baby Channel. This is not a channel I would typically watch, but the title intrigued me: Sweet Dreams. Don't we all need sweet dreams?

I pushed "Enter" on my remote control and lovely, soothing patterns and swirls moved across the screen with an occasional caterpillar, or bird, or butterfly accompanied by soothing, classical-type music.

I was hooked!

OK, not really, but it sent those mother-longings to my heart and so I attempted to put Emily on my lap so I could rock her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

However, she would not COOPERATE!

She became as stiff as a board. I shimmied her long legs under my lap with great difficulty. As she arched her back we heard a thwunk. Emily hit her barrette clad head on the end table.

"Emily, I NEED to rock you back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. This Sweet Dreams program is calling to my mother heart!"

"I don't want to be rocked back and forth, back and forth, back and forth," she replied with a giggle.

I shimmied her stiff legs a little more over my lap.

Thwunk! She hit her head on the end table again. This was getting a little dangerous.

"Emily, Sweet Dreams is SHOUTING to my mother heart. I MUST rock you back and forth, back and forth, back and forth."

"Oh, Mom!" she laughed.

I shimmied her a little more on my lap. By this time we were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our face. After one more thwunk, she was finally satisfactorily on my lap and I proceeded to rock her until my legs went numb. Maybe 30 seconds tops. That's all my mother heart and lap could stand. When did she get so big?

Someday, when I'm old and I can no longer hold my four darling daughters, I hope they gather me in their arms and sing:

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
For time and for always
my Mommy you'll be

.

Mother-Daughter Date

Last evening, Emily and I went on a Mother-Daughter Date.

We have had many such dates over the past 17 years. When she was younger, she enjoyed trips to the park where I would push her on a swing higher and higher until her "feet touched the sky."

We enjoyed trips to the library for story time and to search for the perfect book.

We enjoyed trips to the pool where she would splash and giggle and jump into the water without any fear even before she knew how to swim.

As she has gotten older, we have enjoyed lunch dates where we have feasted on delectable sandwiches, yummy soups, and tasty salads.

We have enjoyed shopping trips to the mall to find the perfect dress, another cute top, or a darling pair of shoes.

But last night, we did something we have NEVER done before!



We went to a city council meeting.

Let me tell you--it was exciting! Emily is taking Civics right now and one of the requirements is to attend school board meetings, city council meetings, planning commission meetings, Superior Court sessions, and perform community service.

She didn't want to attend the city council meeting alone so I told her I would be happy to go with her.

Perhaps happy is too strong a word.

Perhaps I should rephrase that and say I would be willing to go with her.

Because she is my daughter and I enjoy spending time with her.

Even if it is at city council meetings.

But lest you think that the hour was total boredom and monotony, let me reassure you that we LEARNED things! We learned IMPORTANT things!

For instance, did you know that "Kim Trails" is causing a serious problem with our air, soil, and ground water supply?" A well-dressed woman approached the city council and city manager and gave a very eloquent presentation about how airplanes are causing us all to be poisoned with their "Kim Trails." She explained that there is a GOVERNMENT CONSPIRACY COVER-UP because no one is DOING anything to prevent more "Kim Trails" and THEY need to do something about it!

I finally figured out she was talking about contrails.

We also learned that the city council is thinking about going "paperless" which will SAVE the city government SO MUCH MONEY because they won't have to replace the expensive copier nicknamed (and I am not making this up) "The Workhorse" next year and it will mean less work for the overworked clerical staff who spend EIGHT hours every time there is a meeting typing, collating, and stapling these bulky agendas. (I was thinking to myself, "Do the clerical staff REALLY mind spending eight hours every time there is a meeting? I mean, doesn't that mean that they at least have a job?")

Oh, and by-the-way, it will ONLY cost the taxpayers $6500 to purchase seven i-pads! But what a bargain.

Of course, several city council members shared their technology fears and how they were worried they wouldn't be able to figure out how to operate said expensive i-pads.

I whispered to Emily, "You would have to train me on how to use an i-pad."

She whispered back, "Yes, I would."

And I whispered back, "But I AM getting better at computer stuff."

And she whispered back, "Maybe an eensie-weensie bit better."

And THEN I whispered back, "But, it's progress."

And then we decided we should be quiet so we wouldn't miss the NEXT fascinating piece of city business.

I'm telling you! Emily and I had a GREAT time! We had such a good time that we are going to do this EVERY WEEK!

At least until she has enough civics points.