I Loved You Enough

Some day when my children/grandchildren are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent/grandparent, 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.

By Erma Bombeck