| Some day when my children are old enough to
understand the logic that motivates a parent, I
will tell them: |
| I love you enough to ask where you were
going, with whom, and what time you would be
home. |
| I love you enough to insist that you save
money and buy a bike for yourself even though we
could afford to buy one for you. |
| I love you enough to be silent and let you
discover that your new best friend was a creep. |
| I love you enough to make you take the Milky
Way back to the store (with a bite out of it)
and tell the clerk "I stole this yesterday and
want to pay for it". |
| I love you enough to stand over you for two
hours while you cleaned your room, a job that
would have taken me 15 minutes. |
| I love you enough to let you see anger,
disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children
must learn that their parents aren't perfect. |
| I love you enough to let you assume
responsibilities for your actions even when the
penalties were so harsh they almost broke my
heart. |
| But most of all, I love you enough to say NO
when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were
the most difficult battles of all. I am glad I
won them. Because in the end you won, too. |