Friday, February 26, 2010

I can no longer claim to be the mother of two teenagers

IF.....

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Happy 20th Birthday B xx

6 comments:

Natalie said...

I love this poem. You are obviously a lovely and giving mom. Happy 20th anniversary of becoming one!

Tanya said...

Thank you Natalie!

Shalini said...

A wonderful way to celebrate a coming of age birthday.

Leone Fabre said...

birthdays are special ... hope it was a good one!!

Yes, lets meet on Monday morning before it gets too hot, expected to be 37!

My email is:

leonefabre AT gmail DOT com

are you on FB?

Connie said...

Happy Birthday to your son! This is a wonderful tribute :) (I know I'm late... my blog reading time as been limited to late at night, and lately I've been too wiped out to enjoy reading this poem... I saved it until tonight, when I have a bit more focus to appreciate the words better. Hope you don't mind!)

Amanda said...

What a wonderful poem for your son. I'm sure its a b'day present that he'll cherish for years to come.