And when siblings come into your home,
wrapped in arms once yours alone.
And though they’re small, they scream and cry;
but big kids must be quiet and kind.
And you’re asking me to just love you,
but you know that I must love them too.
You’re wanting me to help, to play,
but they need a feed and nappy change.
We’re short on hands and patience too,
but my heart multiplies my love for you.
And still my darling;
Mama is right here.
And even when you’re fully grown,
and you can make it on your own.
Should trouble meet you on your path,
a rift to mend, a broken heart;
if you should need a place to breathe,
where smiles and tears are welcomed equally,
a haven from this big wide-world,
a heart that hears beyond the words.
When you’re needing to be heard and hugged,
not fixed, not solved, just felt and loved,
please remember this my dear;
Mama is right here.
For my little loves – you are my world.
Katie is a Perth-based mama, clinical psychologist and child-centered play therapist with a passion for attachment parenting. She wrote this piece for her two little loves during the many hours she spent lovingly pinned underneath them while breastsleeping. It was inspired by the question; if there was just ONE thing that you wanted your baby to know, what would that be? For Katie, it was the message that, now and always, mama is right here.
Illustrations by Amy Chan – @happisketchu. You can also find her on her website Happi Happu.
