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 responsability 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...
Erma Bombeck