Shore to shore, what was I born for?
So I was talking with my little guy last night. He is 5 years old and in full day senior kindergarten.
He’s been biting his nails lately so I asked him if anything was upsetting or bothering him. He said that he got anxious at school. When I asked why he said it was with large groups of people. He said everyone wants to play with him (which is great!) but he only likes to play with a few children at a time and when the group gets large it worries him.
Some of us do well in large groups while others prefer to have small groups or even one on one time. While I am all about being true to yourself and listening to your inner voice, there are times that we have to get out of our comfort zones, venture to places that are unknown and uncomfortable for that is where you will find the most growth.
When I asked my son why he thought that he was anxious in large groups he replied
“I wasn’t born for that.”
What a puzzling, wise response.
How does a 5 year old know what he was or was not born for?
Do we not ask ourselves every other day why am I here? Why was I born? What is my purpose?
While I wonder away and stand in awe of my 5 year old that knows and identifies so well with himself and his feelings I will hold him close and reassure him that there is no need to bite his nails and that he was indeed born for me.
Photo taken last spring in Lagoon City, Ontario.
Shore to shore
I will keep you safe.
Follow me.
I will show you how.
Explore,
But not too far,
Learn,
But not too much,
Swim but stay in line
When you get your wings
You may fly,
Oh me oh my,
Follow me
Stay in a row
a learning we will go
You are protected in the row,
Mummy in front,
Daddy behind.
When you fly off into the world
Daddy will always have your back
And I Mother,
Will always be here to guide you,
When you need me.
Oh, little gosling
You swam so sweetly
Followed in a row
Stay, follow me every where I go..
No, it’s time
Open your wings
You need to stretch,
You need to soar
From shore to shore
Oh my little gosling from before,
I know you can fly
I’ve seen you try
But tell me,
How will I say goodbye?
Little guy, otherwise known as Adam
Writings of a Mrs 
Hi Jennifer,
Your poem is beautiful and touching. I really like the way you write and relate it to everyday life and other things. Yours is one of my favourite blogs to read.
Awesome post!
Lizz 🙂
Lizz, thank you so much.
That means a lot to me. I try to share more than just a poem or a thought or a story. I like to try to layer it.
It warms my heart to know that you enjoy it.
That’s what it’s all about.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
“I wasn’t born for that.”
It’s amazing… And it’s great he has such an attentive mother listening and findeing the right words.
Thanks a lot for sharing this moment!
Thank you for the kind words.
I appreciate them.
Writing about Motherhood is one of the easier ones for me.
borne fore you
😀
Thank you’re dear
lovely!
Thank you. 🙂
Nothing better than a mama’s guidance ❤
🙂 Or a sons love.
What a wise little man! He knows who he is! Some people spend their entire lives trying to figure out who they are — so he’s WAY AHEAD of the curve!!!
Indeed. *proud Mama*
Every time I read your writings I think that you can’t beat the last one and then you do. I am not a poetry expert by any means, if I write a poem they are very traditional, four line sections of rhyme (I may post one at some point and you’ll see what I mean!), yet somehow you seem to make your poems make sense to a complete numpty like me. I too have a very wise son and although he is twice your boy’s age, he still astounds me with some of the things that he has thought through. Letting them go is hard and next year I will be faced with secondary school and the thought of letting my little boy go is just terrifying.! 🙂
Jade,
Thank you so much for your kind words. They are some of the most meaningful to me that I have heard thus far. I appreciate it.
I find some poetry challenging to follow and understand, beautiful but if I have to spend time studying it afterwards for it to make any sense to me then I find the energy of the poem leaves. I try to keep my poems readable, feelable, for every one to enjoy or at least understand what I’m trying to get across.
Yes, it gets harder (but also rewarding) every time they reach those milestones doesn’t it!?
Sincerely,
Jennifer
This is so lovely. I am not a parent but I could feel every emotion in there 🙂
Thank you.
It is an easy topic to write about when the love just pours out.
Cheers and thank you for commenting.
Jennifer
🙂
Lovely – it brought it all back (my nest has been empty for years) – be comforted though, they may go away, but they never leave.
David
Hi David,
But….going away is leaving!! I don’t want to think about it yet. I’m not ready. 😀 Thankfully I have time ahead to prepare.
Thanks for sharing your wise words.
Jennifer
Adam’s intriguing comment really opens up a discussion of whether we are born FOR anything specific. Goes back a bit to your poem about Parish/Perish…
Hi Becky (my close, in ‘real life’ friend)
Very true but he must think he was born for something because he sure thinks he wasn’t born for large groups of people. 😉
Jennifer
God bless you and your family Jennifer. Your website has taken off and doing great too! 🙂
Hi John.
Thank you.
It has picked up.
What do yo think of the new header and background colour?
The header looks great! The background is less blank looking, better. Are you familiar with CSS? If you purchase the CSS upgrade, you can do almost anything you want to customize the look and feel of the site.
Yes. I was considering it but I want to ‘document’ my journey and I would like to keep it as basic and low cost as possible.
I’m a pretty simple girl too. I’m not very artistic or crafty so for now I will stick with something a little more but still a lot less then what it could be.
so beautifull truly to be honest the first thing i thought of was a childrens song i cant remember which one but the tune is certainly there beautiful pictures 🙂
Katie,
If you think of the title let me know.
I didn’t have one in mind when I wrote the poem but maybe I did…
Cheers,
Jennifer
Alright if I remember it I will let u know
Young children, unconditioned, are so in tune with themselves.
What a wise, assured comment from your little one that was. I know where to come to now for insight and counselling.
Hey Andy,
Yes I couldn’t agree more.
Oh and he does charge for his wise words, so have your gumball machine ready 😉
I swear, kids are smarter than adults….or maybe it’s that kids follow their natural impulses & adults have learned, to their detriment, to ignore theirs.
Beth,
I completely agree, out of the mouths of babes!
Jennifer
A very touching piece, I love reflecting on motherhood too in my writing,and how precious is that relationship between parent and child, and the balance we find as we see them build their wings.
Pearlz,
Thank you for the kind words and for taking the time to leave a comment, it was well said.
Jennifer
You’re welcome and thanks for visiting my blog.
It’s amazing what we can learn from our children. You have a very special “little guy” there. Your poem is very touching. Thank you for sharing!
~Shell
Hi Shell,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment with your thoughts. I love that and I love getting to know the community!
I indeed have the best little guy that there ever was (in my unbiased opinion of course 😉 )
Have a great evening.
Jennifer
Thank you for visiting my beginning winery and vineyard blog site. This is my second major blog with WordPress and it is slow going since it represents a retirement project of my wife. At age 71 we brought a 30 acre farm in East Texas upon our retirement from a State Farm Insurance agency of 28 years in McKinney, Texas. We are leaving behind a beautiful home sitting on a golf course with a huge pool for this life. Call us crazy!
Hi John,
Following your heart and dreams is never crazy especially when wine is involved!
Although, I can see how leaving a comfortable house on a golf course and a pool behind could be challenging, especially if it was your ‘house full of memories’.
Best of luck and success with your new venture!
Cheers,
Jennifer
Beautifully, thoughtfully and well written was this comment. It truly got to the core of my feelings in this massive change in my life.
So, that’s how you write! Drawing lessons from 5-yr-olds-who-are-wiser-than-their-mums!!! Hmm! Hilariously inspiring. Hehehe.
Nice piece really. Just thought about how smart children are getting of late too.
He is indeed wise beyond his years.
Please, take good care of that treasure so it won’t be used to purchase dirt!
I’m know exactly where Adam is coming from. Nice writing, and thanks for the like!
Hi Joel,
Thank you for taking the time to comment and for your kind words.
No problem!
Jennifer
Beautiful xx
Thank you.
My son is five too. It’s like all of a sudden the world is starting to creep in on his innocence and I want to put the brakes on.
I know. It’s bittersweet isn’t it?
Jennifer
I’m blown away at how self aware the little guy is. I’m struggling to understand the whole mess in my head so you can understand how I’d be jealous of a 5 year old who’s got it all figured out
Hi Josh,
He’s a great little guy if I don’t say so myself 😉 I don’t know if he has all of the answers but he’s getting there 😉
I hope you find all the answers that you are searching for.
Jennifer
Reblogged this on liveuntil and commented:
“I wasn’t born for that”
Thanks so much for the reblog.
Greatly appreciated.
Jennifer
You are most welcome..lets spread life…
Intriguing, speaks of freedoms with cautions … I read this as we finish my son’s college visit. Time flies, and we will soar together… thanks!
Hi,
Wow College and University! Time does fly indeed and so do our children.
Cheers to years of parenting and many more,
Jennifer
What a precious work of art and a beautiful boy! Your love oozes from the pen! Blessings, young lady.
Thank you for letting me know you are here by visiting my blog. 🙂
Jeanna,
Thank you for your kind words.
I do indeed love him more than words could possibly express.
I enjoyed your blog!
Continued success,
Jennifer
Beautiful! ❤
An interesting thought about a 5-year-old knowing what he was born for. Puts me in mind of the Leininger family in the US of A, who put together a book about their own infant’s nightmares and the causes thereof. Being a sceptical sort myself I wondered how much they’d made from it …
‘Soul Survivor’. Worth a look despite the title …
Reblogged this on Writings of a Mrs Mommy and commented:
More of my poetry and family musings from my other blog.