There are no rules of motherhood, you make them as you go
The physical pain will soon subside and love will bloom and grow
You bandage all the boo boos and nurse them when they're sick
And help them learn the lessons and hope the good ones stick.

You give them all you have to give and more is not enough
The good times are just wonderful but bad times make you tough
They grow up they move on and leave you weeping when they leave
With the deafening silence of the phantom sounds of little feet

Now your children have their own and your presence slowly fades
You pass the torch of motherhood and hope it lights their way
And maybe on your birthday they might give you a call
But chances are they're busy and wont remember you at all

Posthumously they'll remember what you did and who you were
And late at night they may dream of you and call you in a whisper
The tombstone is a reminder of when you walked with them
And a promise that the circle of this life will never end.

Donna McCord

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-joys-of-motherhood/