Mommy, Can You See Me?

One day, I sat in a doctor’s office waiting for my appointment. In the same waiting room was a mother and her young son, around 6 years old.

The mother sat in a chair, absorbed in her phone, while she and her son waited for the doctor to call them in.

The little boy tried to interact with his mom in so many positive ways—”Mommy, look at this…” “Mommy, what do you think of this?” “Mommy, can you read this to me?” But she just ignored him, staring at her phone.

It wasn’t until he crawled under the office chairs, stood on them, sang loudly, and ran around the room that she shifted her attention to him.

“Stop running!” “Be quiet!” “Get down from there!” “Get out of there!”

This interaction, combined with my training and experiences as a behavior specialist, school psychologist, and mom, inspired me to write this poem:

Mommy, Can You See Me?

Mommy, mommy, can you see me?
I am playing nicely with my toys.
Mommy, can you hear me?
I’m trying not to make a lot of noise.

Mommy, did you notice?
I shared my candy with my brother.
Mommy, are you proud?
I said, “Please, may I have another?”

I thought that’s what you wanted,
But you didn’t even smile.
Learning how to make you happy
Might just take a while.

You noticed when I threw my toys.
You yelled at me that day.
You noticed when I played too loud.
You took my toys away.

You put me in the corner
Because I didn’t share.
When I didn’t use my manners,
You gave me an evil stare.

Please help me understand
How I’m supposed to act.
When I do the wrong things,
That’s when you react.

I just want you to see me,
And I know how to make you look.
When I act like I’m supposed to,
All you do is stare at Facebook.

Mommy, can’t you see?
I just want you to notice.
I might learn to be a good kid,
If you learn to shift your focus.

Video/Slideshow

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