Elizabeth-Jane was filled with great glee.

Her favourite aunt was coming at three.

If Elizabeth-Jane was helpful and pleasant

Maybe her aunt would bring her a present.

 

So Elizabeth-Jane sat down on the floor

And took out her crayons and started to draw

A gift for her aunt – a sketch of the sea.

She’d give it to her straight after their tea.

 

But Elizabeth’s mother said, “Elizabeth-Jane,

Watch your young sister while I entertain.”

Elizabeth-Jane let her bottom lip curl,

(She wasn’t by nature a helpful young girl)

 

So Elizabeth-Jane, with a petulant frown,

Gave her sister some crayons and made her sit down.

Then with paper and pen went back to her drawing

(Looking after her sister could be very boring).

 

So Elizabeth-Jane was looking elsewhere

When her sister sneaked off behind the armchair.

Then the youngster was gone, quick as a rocket

And shoved a red crayon in to a wall socket.

“OH,NO,” cried their Mum, “I’ve told you before,

Don’t leave your sister alone on the floor.”

While Elizabeth’s mother continued to shout

Elizabeth-Jane was beginning to pout.

 

Then exactly at three minutes to three

Aunt knocked on the door and shouted, “It’s me.”

Elizabeth-Jane ran to let her aunt in.

“I’m so pleased to see you,” she said with a grin.

 

But Elizabeth’s Mum said, “Elizabeth, dear.

Look after your sister. Take care, do you hear?”

So Elizabeth-Jane said, “We’ll play hide and seek.

You run and hide.  I’ll try not to peek.”

 

Under the table, beneath the best cloth,

Her sister hid there, quiet as a moth,

While Elizabeth-Jane drew a boy on a yacht,

And soon her young sister she simply forgot.

 

But her sister got bored and played with her shoe,

Then pulled on the cloth for something to do.

“OH,NO,” cried their mother and grabbed the teapot

To stop it from spilling all over the tot.

 

 Elizabeth’s Mum told her daughter once more,

“Look after your sister; it’s not such a chore.”

But Elizabeth-Jane was still busy, you see,

Completing her sketch before they had tea.

 

When the youngster found aunt’s bottle of pills

(For headaches and flu and other such ills)

Elizabeth-Jane didn’t warn, “They’re not sweets.”

Or stop her from tasting these obvious treats.

 

“OH,NO,” cried their Mum and leapt from her chair

And rescued the pills and said, “I declare,

Elizabeth-Jane how many times must I say,

Look after your sister and watch her at play?”

 

But Elizabeth-Jane, her drawing now done,

Went off to get tea and a sticky cream bun.

So her sister decided that she would draw too,

And scribbled and scribbled in red, green and blue.

 

“OH,NO,” came a cry from Elizabeth-Jane,

“My drawing is ruined, my sister’s a pain!

All that hard work and nothing to show.

It’s really a horrible, terrible blow.”

 

 So Elizabeth-Jane learned her mother was right.

Her sister should never be let out of sight.

A big sister’s role was to care and protect.

To nurture her sister and earn her respect.

 

When Elizabeth’s Dad heard what happened that day

He sent for a playpen where baby could play.

And if Elizabeth-Jane didn’t do what Mum said,

He’d put Elizabeth-Jane in the playpen instead!