Love You Forever

Posted on April 17, 2008
Filed Under LIFE, Parenting and Family | Viewed 975 times

BA called me a while ago to show me his new post, which I could just have read in my own Mac—he perhaps wanted to personally see my reaction. What I read was a poem so touching, a long one, but musical, lyrical, one which I wanted to read and re-read from top to bottom. I was poker-faced, even smiling while reading it, not showing any reaction, while BA was hugging me, Josie watching. BA is a “hug” person. I am sure BA knew all along that deep inside I was so touched. That the moment I left him and Josie in front of the computer, tears were flowing down my (pretty) face.

Here’s a poem, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch—it will touch not only a mother’s heart, but a child’s heart of all ages, and anyone who knows what LOVE is. I say a child’s heart of all ages because later in the evening when I woke up, Pauline was by my side, saying “I love you, Mom”. And take note, of all my kids, Pauline is the happy go lucky one, who does not indulge herself in senti or emo moments. She would shout, “I love you, Mom”, but not that way, saying “I love you, Mom”, with feelings and with an expression so magical. I heard from her siblings that she cried while she was reading the poem. The other kids also read the poem—it had the same effect on them.

At that moment—I was a mother, true to form. I would have loved to have told the kids how much I really really loved them, love them, and will always love them, no matter what, despite the fact that…, inspite of…, and whatever age they are. Let’s accept the fact that there are no perfect children nor are there perfect parents. This reminds me of 2 songs that the kids know by heart, the songs which I sang to them 7 kids when they were still in my tummy, when they were born, when they were growing up, awake and asleep and which we sing together—Close to you (Why do birds suddenly appear, everytime you walk by, just like me, they long to be close to you…—I also sing this to Cate and Pia, Angelo’s kids) and “Hindi Kita Malilimutan”. My guess is that even when they were not born yet, they would have already known the songs by heart.

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

A mother held her new baby and very slowly rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held him, she sang:

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

The baby grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was two years old, and he ran all around the house. He pulled all the books off the shelves. He pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and he took his mother’s watch and flushed it down the toilet. Sometimes his mother would say, “this kid is driving me CRAZY!”

But at night time, when that two-year-old was quiet, she opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor, looked up over the side of his bed; and if he was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

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

The little boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was nine years old. And he never wanted to come in for dinner, he never wanted to take a bath, and when grandma visited he always said bad words. Sometimes his mother wanted to sell him to the zoo!

But at night time, when he was asleep, the mother quietly opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep, she picked up that nine-year-old boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

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

The boy grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a teenager. He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music. Sometimes the mother felt like she was in a zoo!

But at night time, when that teenager was asleep, the mother opened the door to his room, crawled across the floor and looked up over the side of the bed. If he was really asleep she picked up that great big boy and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. While she rocked him she sang:

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

That teenager grew. He grew and he grew and he grew. He grew until he was a grown-up man. He left home and got a house across town. But sometimes on dark nights the mother got into her car and drove across town. If all the lights in her son’s house were out, she opened his bedroom window, crawled across the floor, and looked up over the side of his bed. If that great big man was really asleep she picked him up and rocked him back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she rocked him she sang:

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

Well, that mother, she got older. She got older and older and older. One day she called up her son and said, “You’d better come see me because I’m very old and sick.” So her son came to see her. When he came in the door she tried to sing the song. She sang:

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always…

But she couldn’t finish because she was too old and sick. The son went to his mother. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And he sang this song:

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

When the son came home that night, he stood for a long time at the top of the stairs. Then he went into the room where his very new baby daughter was sleeping. He picked her up in his arms and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while he rocked her he sang:

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

The book sells at National Book Store, Children’s corner, at less than P300, I was told by BA. It’s a picture book about 20 pages. Even adults, I am sure, buy it for themselves.

Comments

13 Responses to “Love You Forever”

gailey on April 18th, 2008 6:01 pm

wow! nice poem, pwede basahin ng paulit ulit and it would have the same effect the first time you read it.

I’ll send my husband a copy and have him record it for our little one.

bibili na din ako ng book.
Maki on April 19th, 2008 12:50 pm

I love that book! Our english teacher read that when we were in high school. I also love watching that episode in Friends when Joey (matt le blanc) read it to his friends.
rhodora on April 19th, 2008 2:11 pm

Naku naman, napaiyak ako dito.

I remember when my first born was a teen-ager and became very difficult to deal with. If I could give him away, I would. He gave me the hardest time in my life. But at night, I would check on him and his brother in their room to make sure they were in bed, and I would find him sound asleep, so serene, so like an angel so peaceful and quiet. Then I’d plant a kiss on his forehead and I felt all the pain going away.
analyse on April 19th, 2008 6:01 pm

nice poem, how sweet naman..
Rach (Heart of Rachel) on April 19th, 2008 11:14 pm

Hi Dine. That is a very moving poem. It made me teary eyed.

There are times when Yohan gets into my nerves but at the end of the day, when he is sleeping peacefully between me and my husband, I smile and thank God for a great gift.

I saw this book before but I didn’t it was that good. Thanks for sharing this poem. I think the book will is worth buying.
manilenya on April 20th, 2008 2:25 am

may nabasa akong local baby book na ganyan din ang title habang nagbababy sit ako dito ng isang apat na buwang sanggol na lalaki..

habang pinapatulog ko yung bata sa arms ko which is we Filipinos only do that, sa mga puti iiwan lang nila ang baby nila sa crib at bahala ng matulog yung bata.

Habang hinehele ko siya binabasa ko yung book and I cried..hindi ko mapigilang umiyak kasi alam mo na habang andito ko nag aalaga ng anak ng may anak, nandun ang anak ko sa pinas may ibang yaya.

Ang ganda rin ng poem na yun, nakakatouched ng puso. Ako bilang isang ina at ako bilang isang anak.
cielo on April 20th, 2008 3:23 am

although we know that our kids really loves us…it is really nice that it is validated with hugs and kisses once in a while….

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

I just hope that we can hold them forever in our arms…but though they will grow and be gray…our kids will always be our baby.
Kyels on April 20th, 2008 9:08 am

The poem is so sweet naman. While I was reading this poem my mind flew towards the memories of my mother and tears fell incessantly … I realized that I’ve been homesick all along and that no other love can be compared to a mother’s love.

Salamat po for sharing this. I might post it up in my site too. Feeling a little senti now.

(:

Have a blessed Sunday.
Shoshana on April 20th, 2008 7:57 pm

Dine, what an excellent book, and so poignant. I got tears all over my face. Doesn’t that say what we mothers are?
Princess on April 21st, 2008 2:01 am

Having sons myself, this poem touches me to the core. Thanks, Dine, for sharing this with us.
BTW, thanks for dropping by even when I’ve been away for some time, too. I appreciate your comment on my TT post.
God bless you.
Jayme on April 21st, 2008 9:49 am

Wow… I had to stop myself from crying after reading this. Whenever I look at my baby, I always keep in mind that the years will go faster and she will grow older. And as much as she clings to me now, she’ll let go of me soon enough even if I want to hold on to her a little more.
julie on April 24th, 2008 2:21 pm

Sometimes we wish that they would never grow old, and stay forever as babies for us to hug, cuddle and kiss.
Riss on May 3rd, 2008 11:42 pm

Nakabagbag damdamin at gusto ko rin bumili ng aklat na ito.