Ah, now I understand this. I read this once many years ago, and never quite understood. Now I know why my mom did a lot of the things that she did, and now I know enough to do the same for my babes…
I Loved You Enough
Some day when my children are old enough
to understand the logic that motivates
a parent, I will tell them:
I loved you enough…
to ask where you were going, with whom,
and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough…
to insist that you save your money and buy
a bike for yourself even though we
could afford to buy one for you.
I loved you enough…
to be silent and let you discover that your
new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough…
to make you take a Milky Way back to the
drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk,
“I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it.”
I loved you enough…
to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned
your room, a job that would have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough…
to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes.
Children must learn that their parents aren’t perfect.
I loved you enough…
to let you assume the responsibility for your actions
even when the penalties were so harsh they almost
broke my heart.
But most of all,
I loved you enough…
to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all.
I’m glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.
I loved you enough…
To let you hate me at times.
Until next time…
Jenny Wanderscheid
Founder & CEO ChildFun, Inc
https://www.childfun.com
http://coloringbookfun.com