I Loved You Enough To...

You don't love me!
How many times have your kids laid that on you? And how many times have you, as a parent, resisted the urge to tell them how much?

Someday, when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother. I'll tell them:

I loved you enough to bug you about where you were going, with whom and what time you would get home.

I loved you enough to insist you buy a bike with your own money even though we could afford it.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover your friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you return a Milky Way bar with a bite out of it to the drug store and confess "I stole this."

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your bedroom, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to say, "Yes, you can go to Disney World on Mothers Day."

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, disgust and tears in my eyes.

I loved you enough to make excuses for your lack of respect or bad manners.

I loved you enough to admit that I was wrong and to ask for forgiveness.

I loved you enough to ignore what every other mother did or said.

I loved you enough to let you stumble, fall hurt and fail.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your own actions at age 6,10, or 16.

I loved you enough to figure you would lie about the party being chaperoned but forgave you for it- after discovering I was right.

I loved you enough to accept you for what you are, not what I wanted you to be.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say no when you hated me for it. That was the hardest part of all.
~Erma Bombeck~