'Twas the week before Christmas...

(With apologies to Clement C. Moore...)

'Twas the week before Christmas, and unlike a mouse,
All the kidlets were stirring, and destroying the house;

The stockings are hung and if Santa is fair,
They'll be filled up with coal while all three do pout there.

The children were hyper and wired instead,
of sleeping so nicely and calm while in bed;

And Dad in his face mask and I in my robe,
Were warning the kidlets against making lights strobe--

When out in the yard the neighbors made noise,
hushing their own kids who wanted more toys.

Away from the window I wandered today,
Thinking, "At least it's not just mine bad that way."

The lights on the front of the houses out there,
Made our house look pathetic and otherwise bare;

When, what to my frustrated eyes should appear,
But my wonderful husband who is quite a dear,

Who reminded me bluntly these days are so tough,
But that years will flow by and kids growing is rough.

More rapid than eagles the years will fly by,
And the kids will be grownups in the blink of an eye--

"Now, Pig Jr.! Now Rooster! And now, of course, Horse!
Come right to your mother! Come here to the source!

To the living room come, to where I'm on the couch!
Come, I say come! And please do not slouch!"

As one, my three kidlets came over to me,
and I hugged them all, kidlets one, two, and three,

Then off to their bedrooms, the children all flew,
With their hearts full of love--and mine was full, too;

And then in a twinkling, they all were aloof,
All clowning around and all starting to goof.

My head might be pounding from their silly teasing,
But having my children is really quite pleasing.

They were dressed all in pajamas, robes, and slippers,
And should be in bed now, those rascally nippers.

A bunch of their toys they had flung on the floor,
And they were running amok with their playtime galore.

Their eyes then got sleepy! Their yawns were quite funny!
They claimed they were alert now and wasn't it sunny?

For three kids so tired, they were really quite loud,
So we got them to bed and then felt very proud!

They clenched all their jaws and grinded their teeth,
But we lifted their heads and put pillows beneath.

Our kidlets are cranky but we love them all.
We will get through this week (though we'll avoid the mall).

Parenting kidlets--that's not all that easy,
(Especially when their jokes are all way too cheesy.)

A glare of an eye and a scream against bed,
But they're in their rooms now, there is nothing to dread.

Once they're grown and they're gone, then I might realize,
My young children's noises are just right for their size,

That my soon grown up kids will leave things too quiet,
Even though things now sound like they're starting a riot.

They sat up in their beds, and pulled the blankets up tight,
But I turned off the lights so their rooms were not bright.

And I heard them exclaim as I walked out of sight,
"Merry Christmas to all but we still hate when it's night!"