The Perfect Mum - Dawn A Denton

I expected a baby I loved so much,

I promised to be a perfect parent,

Read books, attended classes and such,

Information abound wherever I went.

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When the baby came home at last

I was nervous but well informed,

Rearing my offspring would be a blast,

I would be judged by how I performed.

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My mother and mother-in-law were kind,

But I felt their advice was outdated.

Any problem in my books I could find,

Unsolicited help I hated.

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When baby and I were at last alone,

At first all happened as expected.

I did everything as I was shown.

I was prepared and nothing was neglected.

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Then nights of broken sleep became real,

And my powers of judgment diminished.

I never had an uninterrupted meal.

All accumulated knowledge just vanished.

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Nothing was happening as I had planned,

I needed advice not found in books.

So returned to the help I had earlier banned.

I needed hugs, praise and encouraging looks.

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The moral of story is very clear,

Individual babies do not conform.

Keep doors open for advice you may hear.

Loving support is invaluable once baby is born.

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April 2013

Teresa Denton

The late Teresa Denton (1941-2014) loved poetry and loved advising new mums in her clinic in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa