As I Hold You in My Arms

As I hold you in my arms, I promise to protect you.

I promise to protect you through your first steps through life,

Even on your first day of school to start your life away from me,

Even when “How was school?” doesn’t start a conversation and is met with an eye roll.

As I hold you in my arms, I promise to support you.

I promise to support you when you come home to hide in your room,

Even when staying with me is embarrassing, and you want to be with your friends,

Even when you ignore me during family dinner.

As I hold you in my arms, I promise to trust you.

I promise to trust you even when you bring a boy home for the first time,

Even when you see it come to an end,

Even when you find the one for you,

Even when I walk you down the aisle.

And as you hold me in your arms, when I am old and frail,

And you tell me that you love me, as my heart begins to fail.