Sacrifice

When kids are born, we sacrifice –
Our time, our sleep, our food.
Activities we once enjoyed
We sometimes must exclude.

We share our sandwich and our seat;
We schlep to kiddie classes
And sometimes opportunity
Waves smugly as it passes.

The sacrifices, once they start,
Will change as children grow,
From nursery school to college dorm,
Through all life’s ebb and flow.

The offerings we make, of course,
Are given from the heart,
For love’s a force so powerful
It grips us from the start.

While first-time parents may be thrilled
With how this love transcends,
They’ll be surprised when they find out
The giving never ends.