I LOVED YOU ENOUGH ...
For Our Teenagers
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
me 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.
(Author Unknown)