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Author Unknown

NOTE: I received the following claim of authorship on 13 March 2004. I have not changed the poem or added attribution. The problem, you see, is that Ms. Twitchell wrote it in 2002. I have had it online since 26 May 2001. However, since it has been my policy to post all claims of authorship and copyright, I have added Ms. Twitchell's message. I should also add that as of 14 March 2004, "Before I Was A Mom" has not been registered with the U. S. Copyright office.

In the year 2002, my daughter was going through a very difficult time in her life (as many of your own children will). As a mother, I was in great pain for her and didn’t know how to help her. All I knew to do was pray to God for Him to help. Before I knew it (with God’s help I’m sure) I was sitting at the computer typing out all of my feelings I had grown to have not only for my daughter, but also my son. By the time I was finished I had written four separate poems, trying to explain to my daughter just how important she was and still is to me. As I sat back and read what I had just said on paper, I was completely astonished. I knew I loved my kids with all of my heart and soul, but I didn’t realize, until recently, just how meaningful and powerful those words must have been for someone else.

I am an avid fan of the Dr. Phil Show. I have been watching Dr. Phil help a family from the beginning of the 2003-2004 season. In this particular family, is the youngest child Katherine. For some reason, (maybe because of my own life) my heart went out to her. One night, I found myself on Dr. Phil’s website writing to Katherine. I wasn’t sure if she would ever see what I had written, but regardless, I felt I needed to say something to comfort her. I decided to share one of my poems with her. This poem was called "BEFORE I WAS A MOM". I never really gave it a second thought, until last night.

While searching the internet for an inspirational poem for my brother-in-law, I found a couple of pretty neat web sites. As I went through the first web site, I found many neat poems, but I wanted to keep looking. When I got to the second website I started looking over the list of poem titles. As I got part way down the list, I wasn’t sure I saw what I did. "Before I was a Mom". Immediately I opened the poem and started reading it. I quickly browsed through the words and was seeing words that I had written to the exact same title of poem. Although some of the wording had been switched around and some words were missing and others were added, I knew this was my poem. At that moment, I knew I needed to take credit for my poem.

When I first started writing the poem "Before I was a Mom", I never realized it was a poem. All I knew was I was in pain for my daughter. When I was finished with this poem, I knew it was with God's help that they turned out the way they did. When I submitted it to the Dr. Phil website, I only hoped that it would help young Katherine. I never truly realized just how special it must have been until I saw it all over the internet. I sincerely appreciate every single web site that has posted my poem, but now I would like to ask each of you to please allow me the credits. I am totally blown away that I actually did something, not only for the good of me and both of my children, but also for millions of other people who may be blessed enough to read it. I truly believed, from the very start, that this poem was a gift from God. I believe we all have a special connection for a reason. And if that’s the case, I hope what I had to say can help all of you if not at least one. "Before I Was A Mom" was inspired out of a Mother’s love for her children and God’s love for each and every one of us. Thank you all very much.

With sincere thanks,

Sharon L. Twitchell

HERE IS THE ORIGINAL POEM:

BEFORE I WAS A MOM

Before I was a Mom;

I made and ate hot meals,

I had unstained clothing,

I brushed my hair every day,

I had quiet conversations on the phone,

I slept as late as I wanted and I slept all night long.

Before I was a Mom;

I cleaned my house each day,

I never tripped over toys or forgot lullabies,

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous,

I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on, or

pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom;

I never thought about immunizations,

I never held a screaming child so the doctors could give shots,

I never looked into teary eyes and cried,

I never felt my heart break into pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt,

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

Before I was a Mom;

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down,

I never sat up late hours of the night watching a baby sleep,

I never got up in the middle of the night to make sure everything was okay,

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

Before I was a Mom;

I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts and my body,

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside of my body,

I didn't know that having something so small could make me feel so

important,

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a mom.

Before I was a Mom;

I never knew that something so small could effect my life so much,

I never knew that I could love someone so much,

I never knew I would love being a Mom,

I didn't know the bond between a Mother and her child,

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much.

Before I was Natalie's Mom.

Sharon L. Twitchell

Salt Lake City, Utah

Copyright 2002

sltwitchell AT comcast DOT net