March, March, March I hear them say,
On their way up to bed after a long hard day.
We didn't intend this military process,
But kids need structure or all is a mess.
We have to appear one step ahead of the crew,
Lest they discover we actually have no clue.
During times of peace, we remain ever vigilant.
Not knowing when the chaos will return as fast as the calm went.
We meet in secret, away from little ears,
To discuss new strategies through the passing years.
Then we return, ready to enforce new rules,
But they challenge and make us feel like fools.
We constantly strategize and talk to comrades wiser,
Learning from those who have become close advisers.
As our soldiers grow older, we can see the potential,
To join us on our side of this parenting differential.
Soon their side grows smaller, with the passage of time,
As wisdom and maturity, out of the ashes begin to climb.
There are more of us now, than there were back then,
But it's easier somehow, as the infants become men.
Now when a new little one makes the family invasion,
Many hands are on deck to step up to the occasion.
This parenting style takes time, and it takes work,
But raising children pays not in riches but perks.
It's no longer Us vs. Them in the tale of our infantry,
It's just become one Us as they age up from infancy.
As we watch our rising leaders, in the front of the pack,
We congratulate ourselves with a pat on the back.
For this parenting assignment never ends, we all know that's true,
Yet these small steps forward each day bring hope anew.
March, March, March I hear them say,
On their way up to bed after a long hard day.
