FALL FROM PEDESTAL

Who would guess that I would fall

From my heightened pedestal?

Once believed I had it all

Followed each maternal rule

Babes tucked into cot at six

Bedtime story a quick fix

Lullabies one of my tricks

Should fairy tale not transfix

Both fair of hair and tumbling curls

Beloved boy and cherished girl

Played dress-up in heels and pearls

Applied make-up in arty swirls

Daniel proved to be so bright

Always had the answer right

Argued with us day and night

Never lost a brainy fight

Emma gentle empathetic

Would agree less academic

Never described as polemic

Beautifully photogenic

Lack of mentor no obstruction

To my yearned for reproduction

Would tolerate no disruption

I was clear in my instruction

A close relationship conceived

I was left proud and relieved

Two fingers to who disbelieved

That my adored would achieve

Comforted their daily falls

Financed all the finest schools

Gave them necessary tools

Simply taught they needed balls

Cambridge was my boy’s vocation

Computer Science aspiration

Soon his choice turned to frustration

Left for permanent vacation

Bristol followed eventually

And my son won his degree

Science and Philosophy

But work was not his prophecy

My daughter undecided

To hair salon was guided

Her own car soon provided

Let her go when she confided

HM Revenue came one day

And she gave the game away

There was no minimum pay

They were fined; she couldn’t stay

So not smug for too long

As my darlings were not strong

Felt they did not belong

When and why did it go wrong?